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