...~~;*&§#                                          #§&*;~~...
¨,¨,~~†$$&                                          &$$†~~,¨,¨
¨,,¨¨~~\*&                                          &*\~~¨¨,,¨
.,.¨¨,.»:§                                          §:».,¨¨.,.
,,,,,..~~/                                          /~~..,,,,,
¨¨¨¨.,.,~~                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.              ¶£%*=~.,¨¨
.,¨,~~;=&§                                          §&=;~~,¨,.
¨,.¨,.»\*§                                          §*\».,¨.,¨
,¨.¨¨.,«*†                                          †*«,.¨¨.¨,
.¨.¨.¨.:~=                                          =~:.¨.¨.¨.
.,..,,,.:»                                          »:.,,,..,.
¨.¨,.,.,,,                                          ,,,.,.,¨.¨