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