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