.¨,¨,»/^%§                                          §%^/»,¨,¨.
,,,^«/%%#@                                          @#%%/«^,,,
,,-»*$£###                                          ###£$*»-,,
,:~=*&¤£##                                          ##£¤&*=~:,
,.~=;=$¤£#                                          #£¤$=;=~.,
,¨.-«^%¤£@                 statuette                @£¤%^«-.¨,
,..¨.»:%$£                                          £$%:».¨..,
¨¨,,¨^~==@ £$$*§*$&&@£&$&&£»-«~-~~»$@$¤*$£%&£%$$@%£ @==~^¨,,¨¨
,....,:-†%                 %$$@¤$££%                %†-:,....,
.¨,,¨~«\^£                                          £^\«~¨,,¨.
¨,¨¨,~^%*# forests around my childhood home.  thick #*%^~,¨¨,¨
,¨,-~:*$@@ pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and @@$*:~-,¨,
¨¨,«/%&&##       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ##&&%/«,¨¨
¨,=†*¤£@@# underneath, sniffing at  the ground.  it #@@£¤*†=,¨
.¨^-\=$¤## is  dark and  moist, the  canopy  having ##¤$=\-^¨.
¨¨,^«;%¤#¶ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ¶#¤%;«^,¨¨
¨..¨,«;*$#                                          #$*;«,¨..¨
.,¨,¨:»:** there's  a  river  passing by, from east **:»:¨,¨,.
¨.,¨.,,«†% to west, getting broader and deeper  and %†«,,.¨,.¨
,.,,¨^~=%$ slower as  it goes. equisetum grow  just $%=~^¨,,.,
.¨,¨,-*%$£ where  the  pine  hands  start   to  let £$%*-,¨,¨.
..¨-~;$$&@ through light,  horsemint  on the  rocky @&$$;~-¨..
,.^~:$$¤@#                river bed.                #@¤$$:~^.,
,.=/^£#@##                                          ##@#£^/=.,
,,~~^†£@¶@                    †                     @¶@£†^~~,,
.¨.-~*=$§@                                          @§$=*~-.¨.
.¨.¨:~**¤# the  riverbanks  reek of  magic. tonight #¤**~:¨.¨.
,¨..,~-/†@ they  had been a swampworld  with sylvan @†/-~,..¨,
¨¨¨¨,¨,«=$ water,  stone  rings and floating  moss. $=«,¨,¨¨¨¨
,.,¨.~-\*£ you could've found me  wallowing  around £*\-~.¨,.,
¨,,.:»:%@¤ on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got ¤@%:»:.,,¨
¨¨¨^~^*¤@£                  bitten.                 £@¤*^~^¨¨¨
,.:»;%%¤£#                                          #£¤%%;»:.,
,~~†§@#@## but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid ##@#@§†~~,
.,,~†*&£## ground,  in shoulder-high grass, with an ##£&*†~,,.
,,,,~**&¤£ orange  tin   radio  and  a  translucent £¤&**~,,,,
,...,«/*$§      umbrella which i'm sitting on.      §$*/«,...,
,,.,¨.»/=£                                          £=/».¨,.,,
.,,¨,.,«;%                     ^                    %;«,.,¨,,.
..,,,,=*^%                                          %^*=,,,,..
.,.,,~/$$# somethings moving  in  the  grass.  it's #$$/~,,.,.
,,¨:»=%£§@ invisible  to  my  eyes but i  can  feel @§£%=»:¨,,
,.,==^%§@@ through the ground just how large it is. @@§%^==,.,
..~;^*#¶@#                                          #@¶#*^;~..
,.^~:^£#¶# the soil is muddy.  i  slip  when trying #¶#£^:~^.,
.¨¨,~^=$&# to  get  up,  still   looking   at   the #&$=^~,¨¨.
,.¨,,=\§£¤ direction  of  sound rather than  at  my ¤£§\=,,¨.,
..,,,~«/§£ hands, who are  busy  putting things  in £§/«~,,,..
,,,..¨^~*%               my pockets.                %*~^¨..,,,
.,,,,~~†^§                                          §^†~~,,,,.
,...~»***# then   i  run   east  toward  my   home. #***»~...,
,..,~/%§¤£                                          £¤§%/~,..,
¨,-=\$£§##                    /                     ##§£$\=-,¨
..«:$¤¤@##                                          ##@¤¤$:«..
,,,~\%$££# i am not followed, and slow down  in the #££$%\~,,,
.,,,»†%$¤@ clearing where  you  at first  can  spot @¤$%†»,,,.
¨.,,~~;**@ the  house,  not   yet   really  in  the @**;~~,,.¨
.¨¨¨¨~«**& backyard. from my pockets  i retrieve my &**«~¨¨¨¨.
¨¨,...-~;§ radio  (now  dented)  but  also a  small §;~-...,¨¨
.,.,.-«;*@ clay figure i've  never  seen before. it @*;«-.,.,.
..,,.=/%$& must  have been laying  in the wet dirt, &$%/=.,,..
,¨,.~/=$@# and  i must've  picked  it  up  with  my #@$=/~.,¨,
¨..-;§*§£#             other belongings.            #£§*§;-..¨
¨,-**&£@@#                                          #@@£&**-,¨
..:«;*%¤## it's a statuette of  a girl laying naked ##¤%*;«:..
,,.,~=*¤§# on  her  stomach,   feet  in  the   air, #§¤*=~,.,,
,,,¨.~^†$#   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   #$†^~.¨,,,
,¨,,,,»\^* freshly made, not  yet completely dried. *^\»,,,,¨,
¨¨.¨¨¨.~/^                                          ^/~.¨¨¨.¨¨
.¨¨,.-»;*¤ my  mom is here now.  i ask her for some ¤*;»-.,¨¨.
..¨,~-=^&@ particle  board  for it  to  dry on, but @&^=-~,¨..
.,¨.-*%%#¶ she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to ¶#%%*-.¨,.
,¨^=^*$###              throw it away.              ###$*^=^¨,
.^»†^@£¶##                                          ##¶£@^†»^.
.,.»;*@@@#                                          #@@@*;».,.
.,¨,»\§$#@                                          @#$§\»,¨,.
,¨,¨~~/$%£                                          £%$/~~¨,¨,
,,.,¨:~=*§                                          §*=~:¨,.,,
,.¨,,,^»;%                                          %;»^,,,¨.,