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