.,..«/*£§#                                          #§£*/«..,.
,,¨,~»†^@¤                                          ¤@^†»~,¨,,
.,¨,.,-†$*                                          *$†-,.,¨,.
,¨¨,¨.-»=$                                          $=»-.¨,¨¨,
,¨,¨,,.^«^                                          ^«^.,,¨,¨,
¨,,.,,.¨:=                statuette                 =:¨.,,.,,¨
¨.¨¨¨,¨,»;                                          ;»,¨,¨¨¨.¨
..¨.¨¨,=/* %%@@*$%£§%@$*$&*«~«««»=-£%§¤£%££$$%%@$£$ */=,¨¨.¨..
.,,..,~†%¤                 %%$@§*§%%                ¤%†~,..,,.
.¨,¨-~\*¤@                                          @¤*\~-¨,¨.
¨,,-»**£#£ forests around my  childhood home. thick £#£**»-,,¨
.¨,=*=$#@# pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and #@#$=*=,¨.
.^~=$¤####      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ####¤$=~^.
,¨,=\$$@@# underneath, sniffing  at  the ground. it #@@$$\=,¨,
,¨.,«^*$## is  dark  and  moist, the canopy  having ##$*^«,.¨,
,¨,¨~«;*@¤ 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.              ¤††»~...,¨
,..¨.¨--/=                                          =/--¨.¨..,
¨.¨.¨,,,==                                          ==,,,¨.¨.¨
,..,¨..,^«                                          «^,..¨,..,
¨¨¨,,,¨^-=                                          =-^¨,,,¨¨¨
.¨,,,,,»/§                                          §/»,,,,,¨.
,,,.¨-~\%%                                          %%\~-¨.,,,