¨¨,¨-~=§*#                                          #*§=~-¨,¨¨
¨¨¨~»;^$£#                                          #£$^;»~¨¨¨
,.-«/§%#£#                                          #£#%§/«-.,
.~==$%@###                                          ###@%$==~.
¨¨.»=%*§£@                                          @£§*%=».¨¨
¨¨.,«†*$¤£                 statuette                £¤$*†«,.¨¨
¨.,.~»:*¤§                                          §¤*:»~.,.¨
¨,..¨,~†$$ *&£*§£$*%%@£&£&*~~«~«=~~¤@$%%@¤¤$%@@£$%£ $$†~,¨..,¨
.,¨.,.~«/*                 ¤£¤%£%$¤£                */«~.,.¨,.
,.....¨^«:                                          :«^¨.....,
,.¨..¨..~= forests around my childhood home.  thick =~..¨..¨.,
¨,¨..¨¨¨¨, pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and ,¨¨¨¨..¨,¨
,.¨.,,.,.,       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ,.,.,,.¨.,
,¨¨¨.¨,.,: underneath, sniffing  at  the ground. it :,.,¨.¨¨¨,
¨,,.,,..:~ is  dark and  moist,  the canopy  having ~:..,,.,,¨
.¨¨¨.,¨^~; already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ;~^¨,.¨¨¨.
.¨¨¨,,,»\§                                          §\»,,,¨¨¨.
,¨¨.¨,»;%£ there's a  river  passing by,  from east £%;»,¨.¨¨,
..,¨,«*=£§ to west, getting broader and deeper  and §£=*«,¨,..
.¨.,»=§§&£ slower as it  goes. equisetum grow  just £&§§=»,.¨.
..,»;†£#¶# where  the  pine  hands   start  to  let #¶#£†;»,..
,~=^^$&¶## 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.              ¤$§:~-,¨..
..,,~^**&@                                          @&**^~,,..
¨,,~\^£@£@                                          @£@£^\~,,¨
.-~^*§&£##                                          ##£&§*^~-.
¨.-=\%%@##                                          ##@%%\=-.¨
.,¨,-;$@@£                                          £@@$;-,¨,.
¨..,:~/=¤¤                                          ¤¤=/~:,..¨