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