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