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