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