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