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