¨,«†=&@###                                          ###@&=†«,¨
.,^~^†££#@                                          @#££†^~^,.
.¨.,-:*%¤#                                          #¤%*:-,.¨.
..¨..=\%¤@                                          @¤%\=..¨..
..¨¨.,-;§@                                          @§;-,.¨¨..
,¨.¨¨.-«/=                 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.              @£%^;~^..¨
¨.,¨^~*†§¤                                          ¤§†*~^¨,.¨
..¨,,,-/%%                                          %%/-,,,¨..
.¨,¨,,,=;$                                          $;=,,,¨,¨.
.¨¨¨¨,¨,=^                                          ^=,¨,¨¨¨¨.
,.¨¨,,,¨.»                                          ».¨,,,¨¨.,
¨..,¨,.,~\                                          \~,.,¨,..¨