.¨¨,~~%%#£                                          £#%%~~,¨¨.
,¨,,¨-~*&#                                          #&*~-¨,,¨,
,.¨,.~:=¤£                                          £¤=:~.,¨.,
,~«:§£#@##                                          ##@#£§:«~,
,.=\=*§*&#                                          #&*§*=\=.,
,,=\=$&@¶#                 statuette                #¶@&$=\=,,
.~»:§@§£##                                          ##£§@§:»~.
,.«;§¤%£§# $£$¤%**££££&@@£$-»«~==»»§%£@&%$&@$£@§%£$ #§£%¤§;«.,
.,~†§£&@##                 ¤$%$$%$§%                ##@&£§†~,.
¨.»:=£@¤@#                                          #@¤@£=:».¨
..¨¨=-=¤@& forests  around my childhood home. thick &@¤=-=¨¨..
¨¨.,,~~:*£ pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and £*:~~,,.¨¨
¨.¨,.^=;$£      forgotten. wild boars roaming       £$;=^.,¨.¨
,,,..,~*#¤ underneath,  sniffing at  the ground. it ¤#*~,..,,,
,,,..~«$$# 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.              ####@†:»,,
,~-†§@¤###                                          ###¤@§†-~,
¨:»~»\=#&@                                          @&#=\»~»:¨
.~~†%$£¶##                                          ##¶£$%†~~.
.:~;%§¶###                                          ###¶§%;~:.
¨,.¨¨:/$¶@                                          @¶$/:¨¨.,¨
.,.~^\\$£#                                          #£$\\^~.,.