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