,,,,¨,-»†*                                          *†»-,¨,,,,
¨¨¨,.~«\†$                                          $†\«~.,¨¨¨
.,¨,.»†%@@                                          @@%†».,¨,.
.,,,»:*%#¶                                          ¶#%*:»,,,.
.¨~»\%££##                                          ##££%\»~¨.
,,»:*§&¶##                statuette                 ##¶&§*:»,,
,«=†@£@@##                                          ##@@£@†=«,
..»^%%&£## %*%£%§¤%§&%&$&¤£=»-«~-~=%¤£$£&¤$&£$*@%§@ ##£&%%^»..
,.,-^$£@##                *§@£§&@§%                 ##@£$^-,.,
¨¨¨,=;†%£#                                          #£%†;=,¨¨¨
¨.¨¨:~=**§ forests around  my childhood home. thick §**=~:¨¨.¨
..¨,.-~/^@ pine  arcades  that  were   planted  and @^/~-.,¨..
,.¨,¨¨:~;*       forgotten. wild boars roaming      *;~:¨¨,¨.,
,,.,¨¨,,-^ underneath,  sniffing at the ground.  it ^-,,¨¨,.,,
,¨,,¨,¨.,» is  dark and  moist,  the  canopy having »,.¨,¨,,¨,
.¨,¨¨¨.,.: already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. :.,.¨¨¨,¨.
,¨¨,,¨..,¨                                          ¨,..¨,,¨¨,
,..,.,.¨.¨ there's a  river passing by,  from  east ¨.¨.,.,..,
.¨,¨,...,. to west, getting broader  and deeper and .,...,¨,¨.
.¨,,¨¨¨,¨: slower as  it  goes. equisetum grow just :¨,¨¨¨,,¨.
,...¨,..,~ where  the  pine  hands   start  to  let ~,..,¨...,
.¨.,,,¨,~/ through  light,  horsemint  on the rocky /~,¨,,,.¨.
.,,¨¨¨:-^%                river bed.                %^-:¨¨¨,,.
¨.....-†*¤                                          ¤*†-.....¨
,,,¨-~;*$#                    †                     #$*;~-¨,,,
,,,,=:*$&@                                          @&$*:=,,,,
¨¨.~^%&¤@@ the riverbanks reek  of  magic.  tonight @@¤&%^~.¨¨
,,===$##@# 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.              ####@¤†;~,
.-=^%&#@##                                          ##@#&%^=-.
,.^-;%$§@#                                          #@§$%;-^.,
¨.¨,~\%$¤#                                          #¤$%\~,¨.¨
¨.,,~=\§$@                                          @$§\=~,,.¨
¨,¨¨,^~;%*                                          *%;~^,¨¨,¨
¨¨.¨¨,.«†%                                          %†«.,¨¨.¨¨