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