.,,,¨,:«:%                                          %:«:,¨,,,.
¨.,¨,-«†$$                                          $$†«-,¨,.¨
..,.:-†%*@                                          @*%†-:.,..
,,..=**@#@                                          @#@**=..,,
,¨,«/§@@##                                          ##@@§/«,¨,
,,~\§$¶###                 statuette                ###¶$§\~,,
¨¨.»;§$£##                                          ##£$§;».¨¨
.¨.:«^§&@@ %¤¤¤**%£$&%%%&&*»««=~««~*%@$££*$@&*§@££* @@&§^«:.¨.
,..,,»*^&¶                @§$£@*%*%                 ¶&^*»,,..,
.¨.,..»:%&                                          &%:»..,.¨.
.¨¨¨¨,,~^* 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 £$%/-~,¨,¨
,,,:~:*%## clay figure i've never  seen before.  it ##%*:~:,,,
.¨,-†§&@## must have been  laying in the  wet dirt, ##@&§†-,¨.
.~==§&£### and  i  must've  picked  it  up with  my ###£&§==~.
¨.,-=*@@##            other belongings.             ##@@*=-,.¨
¨,¨,-\*$@#                                          #@$*\-,¨,¨
.¨.¨,~=%*@ it's a statuette of a girl  laying naked @*%=~,¨.¨.
,.,.,~-:*¤ on  her   stomach,  feet   in  the  air, ¤*:-~,.,.,
,¨.¨.¨:»††   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ††»:¨.¨.¨,
,¨.,¨,,:~^ freshly made, not yet  completely dried. ^~:,,¨,.¨,
¨.,,¨.,,,«                                          «,,,.¨,,.¨
,¨¨....-«† my mom  is  here now. i ask her for some †«-....¨¨,
,,,,,..-=* particle board  for it  to dry  on,  but *=-..,,,,,
¨.,,,,-†%@ she  is   worried   and  wants   me   to @%†-,,,,.¨
,¨,,-~†*&@              throw it away.              @&*†~-,,¨,
¨.,:»;%$£#                                          #£$%;»:,.¨
.¨.~\†$@##                                          ##@$†\~.¨.
,,=*%@¶@##                                          ##@¶@%*=,,
¨,,=†§$@##                                          ##@$§†=,,¨
.¨.-»\*§@#                                          #@§*\»-.¨.
,.,.:-==%£                                          £%==-:.,.,