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