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