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