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