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