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