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