.,.-==§¤##                                          ##¤§==-.,.
.¨¨,~~;@&#                                          #&@;~~,¨¨.
,¨,,¨-«:&#                                          #&:«-¨,,¨,
¨..,.,.-^*                                          *^-.,.,..¨
,¨,¨¨.¨:=*                                          *=:¨.¨¨,¨,
,..¨¨..¨,~                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.              ¤¤=~,,,..,
....,¨,«:%                                          %:«,¨,....
.¨,,,¨.^-:                                          :-^.¨,,,¨.
¨¨..,¨¨,.-                                          -.,¨¨,..¨¨
¨.¨.¨,,:«:                                          :«:,,¨.¨.¨
¨,.¨,¨:-*$                                          $*-:¨,¨.,¨
..¨.,:»;&£                                          £&;»:,.¨..