.,¨¨,:~*$*                                          *$*~:,¨¨,.
,.¨..,.~^§                                          §^~.,..¨.,
,...¨~«\†£                                          £†\«~¨...,
..,¨:»/%$§                                          §$%/»:¨,..
..¨,«\†£¤#                                          #¤£†\«,¨..
,¨,~*§@££#                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, $%\=~¨,.¨,
,,¨,,,:-;* and  i  must've picked  it  up  with  my *;-:,,,¨,,
,,..,-»\†£            other belongings.             £†\»-,..,,
,¨.,,~†%%#                                          #%%†~,,.¨,
¨,.,«*%*#¶ it's a statuette of a girl  laying naked ¶#*%*«,.,¨
,,,«=*&### on   her   stomach,  feet  in  the  air, ###&*=«,,,
.:~:†§####   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ####§†:~:.
.¨^~/%£&¶@ freshly made, not yet  completely dried. @¶&£%/~^¨.
...~=;%@§¶                                          ¶§@%;=~...
,¨..,«^†@§ my mom is here now.  i  ask her for some §@†^«,..¨,
,,,¨¨^=†*% particle  board  for  it to dry  on, but %*†=^¨¨,,,
.¨,.¨¨.«=† she  is   worried   and   wants   me  to †=«.¨¨.,¨.
¨,,,¨~~\%£              throw it away.              £%\~~¨,,,¨
¨¨,.:«=$*@                                          @*$=«:.,¨¨
,¨,~»=*££@                                          @££*=»~,¨,
,,:~^%§###                                          ###§%^~:,,
.^-:$*§@@#                                          #@@§*$:-^.
,,,=*^*#£@                                          @£#*^*=,,,
¨.,.»\=%§¶                                          ¶§%=\».,.¨