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