¨¨.=~*@§¤#                                          #¤§@*~=.¨¨
,.¨¨¨,;^@§                                          §@^;,¨¨¨.,
¨.,«»^†&§@                                          @§&†^»«,.¨
,..,=:*%#@                                          @#%*:=,..,
.,~\†¤####                                          ####¤†\~,.
,-«†$§*§@@                statuette                 @@§*§$†«-,
,^-†§@&###                                          ###&@§†-^,
.,-;*&#£## £$*$£§¤*&&£@£%$*«--~»«««$¤£%£¤%%$§£@$£*@ ##£#&*;-,.
¨,,,.-==*§                 *$£%$*¤$%                §*==-.,,,¨
.,,«^:§*^£                                          £^*§:^«,,.
,:~/%£&@## forests around my  childhood home. thick ##@&£%/~:,
,:=*§£#### pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and ####£§*=:,
¨.~*%%¤£##      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ##£¤%%*~.¨
.,»=†&&@## underneath,  sniffing at the ground.  it ##@&&†=»,.
..»:$%&£## 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 ####&$^=~,
.~=†^§@### she   is  worried   and   wants  me   to ###@§^†=~.
¨^-^=%@@@#              throw it away.              #@@@%=^-^¨
,,~†$¤£@##                                          ##@£¤$†~,,
¨,~†^$¤£@#                                          #@£¤$^†~,¨
¨,~^*%#@@@                                          @@@#%*^~,¨
.,~/%$¤#@@                                          @@#¤$%/~,.
,¨,,,~§@@&                                          &@@§~,,,¨,
..,¨,,=/§¶                                          ¶§/=,,¨,..