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