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