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