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