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