¨¨¨,,,«:†¤                                          ¤†:«,,,¨¨¨
...¨¨,~~^*                                          *^~~,¨¨...
..,¨¨,,,~=                                          =~,,,¨¨,..
¨¨.¨,¨,,^«                                          «^,,¨,¨.¨¨
.,..,.¨¨.,                                          ,.¨¨.,..,.
¨¨.,...¨,~                 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, $\«,¨,,¨.,
,..¨...~»/   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   /»~...¨..,
..¨.¨,¨,^« freshly made, not yet completely  dried. «^,¨,¨.¨..
,¨¨¨,¨.¨.,                                          ,.¨.¨,¨¨¨,
¨,,.,..,,- my mom is here now. i ask  her  for some -,,..,.,,¨
,¨¨.,,¨,-^ particle  board for it  to  dry  on, but ^-,¨,,.¨¨,
,.,,,.-=== she  is   worried   and   wants   me  to ===-.,,,.,
.¨...--^%§              throw it away.              §%^--...¨.
.,¨..=**§@                                          @§**=..¨,.
.,.,«*$£¶@                                          @¶£$*«,.,.
¨¨,~†=§¶##                                          ##¶§=†~,¨¨
¨:«;%&#@##                                          ##@#&%;«:¨
...=*§£¶##                                          ##¶£§*=...
.,¨~»;=&#@                                          @#&=;»~¨,.