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