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