..,.^«*§$@                                          @$§*«^.,..
,¨.,¨^=*^¤                                          ¤^*=^¨,.¨,
,,,,.¨^«;*                                          *;«^¨.,,,,
..¨,..,,«\                                          \«,,..,¨..
.,.,¨...-~                                          ~-...¨,.,.
.,¨,¨,¨:«=                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.              %†-,.,¨¨¨¨
,,,¨,.¨^~^                                          ^~^¨.,¨,,,
¨,.¨,¨¨,-=                                          =-,¨¨,¨.,¨
¨,..¨,¨--†                                          †--¨,¨..,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,,~:†                                          †:~,,¨¨¨¨¨
.,.,¨~~\%§                                          §%\~~¨,.,.
..¨,^=†$%¶                                          ¶%$†=^,¨..