.¨.¨¨:,:^@                                          @^:,:¨¨.¨.
,.=\^%§@#@                                          @#@§%^\=.,
¨,~«»~^%@@                                          @@%^~»«~,¨
¨,-:*&##@#                                          #@##&*:-,¨
¨~-^=££@##                                          ##@££=^-~¨
.¨-^,\£@@#                 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 §§#&$*/--,
¨,~~*†%¤## particle  board for  it  to dry on,  but ##¤%†*~~,¨
¨¨,^,--\@& she   is   worried  and  wants   me   to &@\--,^,¨¨
¨¨.,,»=§@@              throw it away.              @@§=»,,.¨¨
¨:»†=§¤¶##                                          ##¶¤§=†»:¨
,-~\§†$@##                                          ##@$†§\~-,
.^«=$§£&##                                          ##&£§$=«^.
,:«;**@¶##                                          ##¶@**;«:,
,^=/†£¤###                                          ###¤£†/=^,
,,=\$*#@##                                          ##@#*$\=,,