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