..¨-=*§@£@                                          @£@§*=-¨..
¨¨.~†*%@¶@                                          @¶@%*†~.¨¨
,:«/^§&@##                                          ##@&§^/«:,
..^»^%%&¶#                                          #¶&%%^»^..
...,~/§@@@                                          @@@§/~,...
....~~/*$&                statuette                 &$*/~~....
,¨...^-/%%                                          %%/-^...¨,
¨,¨,¨..~/* @*$%¤£§@£££%%¤%&=~~««~~-£@£$*$£%§£¤§£%££ */~..¨,¨,¨
¨¨¨,,..,~;                 §£@&§§%&£                ;~,..,,¨¨¨
.,¨¨¨.¨¨.-                                          -.¨¨.¨¨¨,.
,..,..,..~ forests around my childhood home.  thick ~..,..,..,
,,,...¨,,, pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and ,,,¨...,,,
...,¨,,¨,.      forgotten. wild boars roaming       .,¨,,¨,...
.....,.¨¨¨ underneath, sniffing  at the ground.  it ¨¨¨.,.....
¨¨,,,¨¨,., is dark and  moist,  the  canopy  having ,.,¨¨,,,¨¨
¨,.¨¨,¨... already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ...¨,¨¨.,¨
.¨..,¨.,.,                                          ,.,.¨,..¨.
¨¨,,,...., there's  a river  passing  by, from east ,....,,,¨¨
¨,¨¨,¨..¨, to west, getting  broader and deeper and ,¨..¨,¨¨,¨
,,¨¨¨,.,.= slower as  it goes.  equisetum grow just =.,.,¨¨¨,,
¨.,¨¨,,,-* where  the  pine  hands   start  to  let *-,,,¨¨,.¨
¨,,¨¨.^==* through  light,  horsemint on the  rocky *==^.¨¨,,¨
,¨,¨,,~\§@                river bed.                @§\~,,¨,¨,
,¨.,~-/^%§                                          §%^/-~,.¨,
.¨¨-=:$%&#                    †                     #&%$:=-¨¨.
¨..~;†%&@@                                          @@&%†;~..¨
,:-:$$§¶## the riverbanks  reek of  magic.  tonight ##¶§$$:-:,
.,.»=†$££@ they had been a  swampworld with  sylvan @££$†=».,.
,.¨,«:=§£# 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.              ¶#$*\-,,.,
,,:-=%&@##                                          ##@&%=-:,,
¨.«:%*¤###                                          ###¤*%:«.¨
,.,==*£££#                                          #£££*==,.,
,..^-^^§&#                                          #&§^^-^..,
.¨.¨,=:$%@                                          @%$:=,¨.¨.
¨,,,¨-~=$£                                          £$=~-¨,,,¨