.¨¨.¨.:§§@                                          @§§:.¨.¨¨.
..,¨--†#£¶                                          ¶£#†--¨,..
¨¨¨.,~/=¤@                                          @¤=/~,.¨¨¨
¨,.~;:†=¤@                                          @¤=†:;~.,¨
,.-:$§#£@#                                          #@£#§$:-.,
.¨.¨,†%*$#                statuette                 #$*%†,¨.¨.
..~=*%##@#                                          #@##%*=~..
,,¨¨:,†@%@ *£&*£%$£$££££%%¤«=«~-~=-@&$£@¤£¤&$¤%$$¤§ @%@†,:¨¨,,
.~†=£&@###                 *£&@@£&$¤                ###@&£=†~.
,-«†*%#£@#                                          #@£#%*†«-,
.¨,-//**$@ forests around my childhood home.  thick @$**//-,¨.
¨:«:%£&### pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and ###&£%:«:¨
..,¨.^^$##       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ##$^^.¨,..
¨¨¨-~%§%## underneath,  sniffing at the ground.  it ##%§%~-¨¨¨
.^~;%&##@# is dark  and moist,  the  canopy  having #@##&%;~^.
¨,~†^$&@@# already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. #@@&$^†~,¨
,,~:=$§@@#                                          #@@§$=:~,,
..=\†$&¤@@ there's a  river passing  by, from  east @@¤&$†\=..
¨-»:†@#&@¶ to  west, getting broader and deeper and ¶@&#@†:»-¨
¨,-^%%*&*@ slower as it goes. equisetum  grow  just @*&*%%^-,¨
¨:==%£&@@# where  the  pine  hands   start  to  let #@@&£%==:¨
,,¨,.~^*¤@ through light,  horsemint  on  the rocky @¤*^~.,¨,,
,:==%£§@@#                river bed.                #@@§£%==:,
¨:~*%£@@##                                          ##@@£%*~:¨
.:=†*%%§¤&                     :                    &¤§%%*†=:.
¨,»;^$##£@                                          @£##$^;»,¨
,,-\*$#£@¶ the  riverbanks  reek of magic.  tonight ¶@£#$*\-,,
.¨..¨.;*%& they had  been a  swampworld with sylvan &%*;.¨..¨.
,:~†§£¤@## water,  stone rings and  floating  moss. ##@¤£§†~:,
¨,,.~^$@## you could've found me  wallowing  around ##@$^~.,,¨
¨^«^*%¤@## on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got ##@¤%*^«^¨
,.«^%¤&###                  bitten.                 ###&¤%^«.,
,.¨¨~=:^§@                                          @§^:=~¨¨.,
.,¨,-~~†§§ but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid §§†~~-,¨,.
¨.=:†@@¶## ground, in shoulder-high grass, with  an ##¶@@†:=.¨
¨~-^$$@### 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 ##@&**^~,¨
.,«*=$@### she  is   worried   and  wants   me   to ###@$=*«,.
,~~=%$@¶@#              throw it away.              #@¶@$%=~~,
¨^-**¤£@##                                          ##@£¤**-^¨
.,¨,,,/*%¶                                          ¶%*/,,,¨,.
..«=%$££@#                                          #@££$%=«..
,,~/$¤@###                                          ###@¤$/~,,
,-~\*%@###                                          ###@%*\~-,
.~=:*£¤###                                          ###¤£*:=~.