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