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