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