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