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