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