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