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