,,¨,,»^^@&                                          &@^^»,,¨,,
,¨,,~;$&@@                                          @@&$;~,,¨,
,.,«^^¤¤##                                          ##¤¤^^«,.,
,,-*$§££##                                          ##££§$*-,,
¨.:«;*$§#@                                          @#§$*;«:.¨
¨,¨,-;*%§£                 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 #§*:~-¨¨,¨
..¨.~=$$£¶ she   is  worried   and   wants   me  to ¶£$$=~.¨..
...~;§$§@#              throw it away.              #@§$§;~...
.,=\†&£@@#                                          #@@£&†\=,.
¨,:«/%$@#@                                          @#@$%/«:,¨
,,.:=†^$&@                                          @&$^†=:.,,
,..,-=;*&@                                          @&*;=-,..,
,¨,.¨,~;^£                                          £^;~,¨.,¨,
¨,¨..¨.~†$                                          $†~.¨..¨,¨