,¨.¨:=**$&                                          &$**=:¨.¨,
,¨¨,~=$&§#                                          #§&$=~,¨¨,
,¨-~;%£§##                                          ##§£%;~-¨,
,-«\†£&###                                          ###&£†\«-,
,¨^=*%$###                                          ###$%*=^¨,
...:»;=£¤@                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 @$%:-,,.¨¨
¨,¨.»:%££# she  is  worried   and   wants   me   to #££%:».¨,¨
...-:*§¤##              throw it away.              ##¤§*:-...
¨.-;§§####                                          ####§§;-.¨
¨¨,~=%%@##                                          ##@%%=~,¨¨
..¨^~\*$¤#                                          #¤$*\~^¨..
¨.,,^~;*£#                                          #£*;~^,,.¨
,,¨¨¨~»=%%                                          %%=»~¨¨¨,,
,,,.¨,:==%                                          %==:,¨.,,,