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