.¨¨,.~:^§&                                          &§^:~.,¨¨.
...^-^%*@@                                          @@*%^-^...
,¨~~\%*¤@#                                          #@¤*%\~~¨,
¨~»=%%¤@##                                          ##@¤%%=»~¨
¨¨-»:=%§@#                                          #@§%=:»-¨¨
,.¨.»**$¤#                 statuette                #¤$**».¨.,
.¨¨,--;*%&                                          &%*;--,¨¨.
¨¨.¨¨,«:%% £&£¤&%%%$§%¤$¤@$~~==-»-~$£*@%%@&**%$%£¤* %%:«,¨¨.¨¨
..¨¨^=*%%&                $£$¤%%££&                 &%%*=^¨¨..
,¨¨.»;^$@@                                          @@$^;».¨¨,
¨,^~=$$¤@# forests around  my childhood home. thick #@¤$$=~^,¨
,~»;=$§### pine  arcades  that  were   planted  and ###§$=;»~,
.,,~^$£###       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ###£$^~,,.
¨¨¨:«*%%£# 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.              #&%†-^..¨.
¨.,.=*%$¤#                                          #¤$%*=.,.¨
,¨^«^%%§##                                          ##§%%^«^¨,
.,«^*§§@##                                          ##@§§*^«,.
,¨.=†%%§##                                          ##§%%†=.¨,
,,,:~†^§¤#                                          #¤§^†~:,,,
,.¨¨:-†§§&                                          &§§†-:¨¨.,