.,¨¨,,~:^%                                          %^:~,,¨¨,.
¨.¨,,,~»/=                                          =/»~,,,¨.¨
.,¨¨.-~†$£                                          £$†~-.¨¨,.
.¨.,:»/^$¤                                          ¤$^/»:,.¨.
.,,,=:*$£@                                          @£$*:=,,,.
,..~*†$@£#                 statuette                #£@$†*~..,
..~/*%¤###                                          ###¤%*/~..
.,,~^=$@£# $§$§¤¤£*£&%*$$$£«~-~~-~-%£@¤¤£%&¤£$¤£$$£ #£@$=^~,,.
,,¨:-\^§¤£                £*%%¤&%§$                 £¤§^\-:¨,,
..,,~~^†*¤                                          ¤*†^~~,,..
.,¨,.,«*%¤ 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 £$*~:¨.¨..
,..,,,-~*† she   is   worried  and  wants   me   to †*~-,,,..,
..¨¨¨.«/§*              throw it away.              *§/«.¨¨¨..
,,¨,,==*§¤                                          ¤§*==,,¨,,
,..^~:*§&¶                                          ¶&§*:~^..,
.,:«=†&£##                                          ##£&†=«:,.
¨:«:=%§@@#                                          #@@§%=:«:¨
¨,.=*$£§¶#                                          #¶§£$*=.,¨
,¨¨^»=*$##                                          ##$*=»^¨¨,