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