.¨,¨.-=†%£                                          £%†=-.¨,¨.
¨.,,.¨:-:^                                          ^:-:¨.,,.¨
¨.,,¨^«†%%                                          %%†«^¨,,.¨
,.¨.-~:$£¤                                          ¤£$:~-.¨.,
..¨-»†§£@#                                          #@£§†»-¨..
¨..«††$¤£#                statuette                 #£¤$††«..¨
.^~†%£@###                                          ###@£%†~^.
.¨~~^%*&#@ $%¤¤@§§&&§§¤*$§%~»~=~~~~&%$¤$$$@%*&@£$%% @#&*%^~~¨.
,,¨~«††*##                 %&$§¤£@$§                ##*††«~¨,,
.,,.-«;§$£                                          £$§;«-.,,.
.,,..-«:†& forests around my childhood home.  thick &†:«-..,,.
,.¨¨,.,-^^ pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and ^^-,.,¨¨.,
,,....~/*$      forgotten. wild boars roaming       $*/~....,,
¨.,¨-=^=&¤ underneath,  sniffing at the ground.  it ¤&=^=-¨,.¨
,..,-;=%§@ is  dark  and  moist, the  canopy having @§%=;-,..,
.¨:=*%%§¶# already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. #¶§%%*=:¨.
,,»†*$£###                                          ###£$*†»,,
..,=^=*§£# there's a  river passing  by,  from east #£§*=^=,..
¨,.,«/*$#@ to west, getting broader  and deeper and @#$*/«,.,¨
¨¨,¨:-^=&£ slower as  it  goes. equisetum grow just £&=^-:¨,¨¨
,.¨.,^~;†& where  the  pine  hands  start  to   let &†;~^,.¨.,
,,¨¨,.:»†* through light,  horsemint  on  the rocky *†»:.,¨¨,,
¨.¨,¨:~*$$                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 @¶¤*$=-,..
¨:~**@@£## the  house,  not   yet  really  in   the ##£@@**~:¨
.,,«:*§&@@ backyard. from my pockets  i retrieve my @@&§*:«,,.
,¨..«^*£&£ radio  (now  dented)  but  also a  small £&£*^«..¨,
¨,,,.~:=%& clay  figure i've never seen  before. it &%=:~.,,,¨
,¨¨,.^«*†¤ must have been  laying in the  wet dirt, ¤†*«^.,¨¨,
,¨,,¨¨-~;% and  i  must've  picked it  up  with  my %;~-¨¨,,¨,
¨¨,..:~*^&             other belongings.            &^*~:..,¨¨
.,,,~«*§%¤                                          ¤%§*«~,,,.
,¨.,~:†§§# it's a statuette of  a girl laying naked #§§†:~,.¨,
¨.~==*£¤¶# on  her  stomach,  feet   in  the   air, #¶¤£*==~.¨
,:-:*%####   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ####%*:-:,
¨,--†^%&£# freshly  made, not yet completely dried. #£&%^†--,¨
¨¨,~-:=£#£                                          £#£=:-~,¨¨
.,¨¨-=†=%& my mom is here  now. i ask her  for some &%=†=-¨¨,.
.,...-»=*£ particle  board for  it to dry  on,  but £*=»-...,.
,.,,.,.=/= she  is   worried   and   wants  me   to =/=.,.,,.,
,¨,¨..=†^%              throw it away.              %^†=..¨,¨,
.¨,.~-*^&¤                                          ¤&^*-~.,¨.
,.,~»†*§@#                                          #@§*†»~,.,
..,~:$%&#@                                          @#&%$:~,..
.,~/*@¤#@#                                          #@#¤@*/~,.
,,-~;%@&##                                          ##&@%;~-,,
¨,¨~~*^%££                                          ££%^*~~¨,¨