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