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