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