.¨,,¨,==^$                                          $^==,¨,,¨.
,,.¨-=*=£@                                          @£=*=-¨.,,
¨¨.~~^$&##                                          ##&$^~~.¨¨
,,-~:%%¤##                                          ##¤%%:~-,,
..«†%$@#@#                                          #@#@$%†«..
¨,~«:†§¤@@                statuette                 @@¤§†:«~,¨
,.¨~=/*&&£                                          £&&*/=~¨.,
..,¨,-^%$£ @%¤@§%£$$$%£§$$%~-«=«»~-$£$*¤§@*$$%@¤¤££ £$%^-,¨,..
,..,¨:»=*£                 *@¤%%¤%$%                £*=»:¨,..,
¨,,.,¨:~==                                          ==~:¨,.,,¨
,¨,¨.,..~† forests around  my childhood home. thick †~..,.¨,¨,
..,,¨,.»*% pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and %*».,¨,,..
.,,.,-»\†$      forgotten. wild boars roaming       $†\»-,.,,.
..,.-=;^£# underneath, sniffing at the  ground.  it #£^;=-.,..
..,,=:*%&@ is dark and  moist,  the  canopy  having @&%*:=,,..
,,,~†§£&¶# already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. #¶&£§†~,,,
.^»:$§#£@#                                          #@£#§$:»^.
.,,»/§£§£# there's  a river passing  by, from  east #£§£§/»,,.
¨.,,«:*&## to west, getting broader  and deeper and ##&*:«,,.¨
,.,,^=/%%# slower  as it goes. equisetum  grow just #%%/=^,,.,
,.¨¨.-=;†* where  the  pine  hands  start  to   let *†;=-.¨¨.,
¨,,,,¨-~†§ through light,  horsemint  on the  rocky §†~-¨,,,,¨
.¨..,¨¨~~\                river bed.                \~~¨¨,..¨.
..,,¨.^~†*                                          *†~^.¨,,..
¨.¨.¨-~=^§                     :                    §^=~-¨.¨.¨
,,¨,,»*%$@                                          @$%*»,,¨,,
.¨.,~\=££# the riverbanks  reek  of  magic. tonight #££=\~,.¨.
,.:==%@£## they had  been a swampworld with  sylvan ##£@%==:.,
,.«;^&&### water, stone  rings  and floating  moss. ###&&^;«.,
.,:~^$%#@# you could've  found  me wallowing around #@#%$^~:,.
,,¨~=^%£&# on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got #&£%^=~¨,,
,,.¨~-*$$¤                  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 $:=,..¨¨,,
,¨¨¨,..~«\ particle board for  it to  dry  on,  but \«~..,¨¨¨,
..,¨¨¨,~/* she  is   worried   and  wants   me   to */~,¨¨¨,..
,...¨.=;=&              throw it away.              &=;=.¨...,
,,¨¨,~;%¤&                                          &¤%;~,¨¨,,
¨..^~:%£§@                                          @§£%:~^..¨
,,~»;=%¤£#                                          #£¤%=;»~,,
.--/%%§¶@#                                          #@¶§%%/--.
.¨,=*†&§@#                                          #@§&†*=,¨.
¨..^~*$*@@                                          @@*$*~^..¨