¨¨.¨.¨.-*£                                          £*-.¨.¨.¨¨
,¨¨¨,,,«§#                                          #§«,,,¨¨¨,
.....~%^$@                                          @$^%~.....
¨¨.¨.;%*¤@                                          @¤*%;.¨.¨¨
¨«/*§¤¶###                                          ###¶¤§*/«¨
¨¨.,,^==%@                 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.              @#@#*%\=^,
¨,..«†=†^&                                          &^†=†«..,¨
.,-~-†^%%¶                                          ¶%%^†-~-,.
.~~/^£¤###                                          ###¤£^/~~.
¨..,:*$%##                                          ##%$*:,..¨
¨:-^*/†/^@                                          @^/†/*^-:¨
.,»/=%%*§¶                                          ¶§*%%=/»,.