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