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