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