.^-††¤§###                                          ###§¤††-^.
.¨.-†$&£@#                                          #@£&$†-.¨.
.,.:«*^$@£                                          £@$^*«:.,.
.,¨.,~/^§£                                          £§^/~,.¨,.
,,,¨.,«*§&                                          &§*«,.¨,,,
.,¨...~~/$                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 $^»:,.....
..,.,..,~^ particle  board for it  to dry  on,  but ^~,..,.,..
.,¨,,¨,,^= she   is   worried  and  wants   me   to =^,,¨,,¨,.
.,.¨,..¨¨:              throw it away.              :¨¨..,¨.,.
.,,¨,.¨¨,«                                          «,¨¨.,¨,,.
¨¨,¨¨,.-==                                          ==-.,¨¨,¨¨
¨,¨,,,:»/§                                          §/»:,,,¨,¨
,..¨.:~\^£                                          £^\~:.¨..,
¨¨..,~^%$§                                          §$%^~,..¨¨
¨¨.,=/$$&@                                          @&$$/=,.¨¨