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