.,.^»\§£##                                          ##£§\»^.,.
¨¨¨¨:=;§¤#                                          #¤§;=:¨¨¨¨
¨,,,,~»\*%                                          %*\»~,,,,¨
,,,,:~/%&#                                          #&%/~:,,,,
¨.¨:»†^£@#                                          #@£^†»:¨.¨
¨,~~:%@£##                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 ##@@%%;=^¨
,,-~;$$### she  is  worried   and   wants   me   to ###$$;~-,,
.¨¨-~\*$##              throw it away.              ##$*\~-¨¨.
..,¨~«\=$#                                          #$=\«~¨,..
.¨,.,,»^%@                                          @%^»,,.,¨.
,,,.,=/*£@                                          @£*/=,.,,,
.,.:=/§$@@                                          @@$§/=:.,.
¨¨,=:*%£##                                          ##£%*:=,¨¨
,-~*=*@@##                                          ##@@*=*~-,