.,,,..-«;§                                          §;«-..,,,.
¨.,¨.^~;§£                                          £§;~^.¨,.¨
.,,¨^«^$§£                                          £§$^«^¨,,.
¨.¨^~;^¤§¶                                          ¶§¤^;~^¨.¨
,.:-=%¤¤@@                                          @@¤¤%=-:.,
¨:-\=$£@@#                 statuette                #@@£$=\-:¨
..,~*†&@@#                                          #@@&†*~,..
¨.,,~\%$£# @£&$%£%&&%¤$¤@%&~-~=«»~=@$%&£$§&§@%*$$&& #£$%\~,,.¨
¨...~~†$¤£                 %§¤$%%$£¤                £¤$†~~...¨
¨,¨,.,»††%                                          %††»,.,¨,¨
..,¨,,,«\= forests around my childhood  home. thick =\«,,,¨,..
,¨,¨¨¨¨^-* pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and *-^¨¨¨¨,¨,
,¨¨,¨¨~~;§      forgotten. wild boars roaming       §;~~¨¨,¨¨,
¨.¨¨,:~^=% underneath,  sniffing at  the ground. it %=^~:,¨¨.¨
.¨,¨,~*†£@ is  dark and  moist, the  canopy  having @£†*~,¨,¨.
.¨¨-«=^£&# already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. #&£^=«-¨¨.
¨.-»\†$£#@                                          @#£$†\»-.¨
¨~=:%£§@## there's a river  passing  by, from  east ##@§£%:=~¨
.,:~^$¤§@# 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. #§%$†~:,..
,..,,=*^&§                                          §&^*=,,..,
,...¨~»*=% my mom is here now. i  ask  her for some %=*»~¨...,
,,¨,.,~~^^ particle  board  for it  to dry on,  but ^^~~,.,¨,,
,¨..¨¨,-«† she  is   worried   and   wants  me   to †«-,¨¨..¨,
¨.¨..,~»;=              throw it away.              =;»~,..¨.¨
,.,¨,.~=^@                                          @^=~.,¨,.,
...¨-«†^&&                                          &&^†«-¨...
,,,,-=*&&£                                          £&&*=-,,,,
¨,~~:%%¤£#                                          #£¤%%:~~,¨
,^«\†¤§###                                          ###§¤†\«^,
,,,»/*$£¶@                                          @¶£$*/»,,,