.¨,..~\%&§                                          §&%\~..,¨.
.~^,-*=£%£                                          £%£=*-,^~.
,,«/%§§###                                          ###§§%/«,,
.~»^£§@###                                          ###@§£^»~.
¨,«†§@§#@#                                          #@#§@§†«,¨
¨,=;**¤#@#                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 #£*$$†«¨¨¨
¨-=:%&¤@##               my pockets.                ##@¤&%:=-¨
¨.~†%$&###                                          ###&$%†~.¨
,~»/%§*&¤§ then   i  run  east   toward   my  home. §¤&*§%/»~,
¨-«:§§££@#                                          #@££§§:«-¨
,....,/%¤#                    *                     #¤%/,....,
.:~;$$§@@#                                          #@@§$$;~:.
,:~**&§£## i am  not followed, and slow down in the ##£§&**~:,
..===*£### clearing  where  you  at first  can spot ###£*===..
¨^~^$§@### the  house,  not  yet   really  in   the ###@§$^~^¨
.,...^:$@# backyard. from my  pockets i retrieve my #@$:^...,.
¨:=^*§£@## radio  (now  dented) but  also  a  small ##@£§*^=:¨
¨,^.*;$*$£ clay  figure i've  never seen before. it £$*$;*.^,¨
¨:»:§£#### must have  been laying in  the wet dirt, ####£§:»:¨
.:~;^^$&## and  i must've  picked  it  up  with  my ##&$^^;~:.
.-»†$%££##            other belongings.             ##££%$†»-.
.,=^†£#£@#                                          #@£#£†^=,.
¨¨¨,^=-=%¤ it's a statuette  of a girl laying naked ¤%=-=^,¨¨¨
,,,~//^=£& on   her  stomach,  feet   in  the  air, &£=^//~,,,
..,«-^*§$¤   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ¤$§*^-«,..
,~«;$&&§¤& freshly  made, not yet completely dried. &¤§&&$;«~,
¨--;*£¤%%£                                          £%%¤£*;--¨
,.=/†$&@@# my mom is here  now. i ask her  for some #@@&$†/=.,
,.,^~;%#£¶ particle board for  it  to dry  on,  but ¶£#%;~^,.,
,~=†§£##@# she   is  worried  and   wants   me   to #@##£§†=~,
.^«/^*@###              throw it away.              ###@*^/«^.
¨..¨,¨-==#                                          #==-¨,¨..¨
,,«:/:$$##                                          ##$$:/:«,,
¨^=;\/§#§¤                                          ¤§#§/\;=^¨
¨:-^*$¤#@#                                          #@#¤$*^-:¨
.~=†%£¤#@#                                          #@#¤£%†=~.
¨-«†*£§£##                                          ##£§£*†«-¨