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