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