,,.:»\†$¤¶                                          ¶¤$†\»:.,,
,.,~;§*¤£#                                          #£¤*§;~,.,
,,«^=£@¶##                                          ##¶@£=^«,,
¨,,«†§¤¤@#                                          #@¤¤§†«,,¨
¨,.^»=*£§£                                          £§£*=»^.,¨
,,¨¨:~:$§§                 statuette                §§$:~:¨¨,,
¨.¨,¨^~/*$                                          $*/~^¨,¨.¨
¨.¨¨-»:$££ @@¤§££$&§*@§*@&£-=-«~»-~$££§§¤@*&§&%$£$¤ ££$:»-¨¨.¨
,..^~†*$&@                 £%£¤£¤%$£                @&$*†~^..,
.,,»:%£§¶#                                          #¶§£%:»,,.
.,-;§&£### 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 $*/~-,,¨.,
.¨.,.-^†%@ she   is   worried  and   wants  me   to @%†^-.,.¨.
.¨.,~^%£§@              throw it away.              @§£%^~,.¨.
,,~=†%%#£@                                          @£#%%†=~,,
,^~*=%£@@#                                          #@@£%=*~^,
,,-~^*$¤@#                                          #@¤$*^~-,,
¨¨¨^=^%@¤@                                          @¤@%^=^¨¨¨
¨,¨.:=^%$§                                          §$%^=:.¨,¨
.,¨,.,~**&                                          &**~,.,¨,.