,,¨,-~/%§&                                          &§%/~-,¨,,
.¨.,»†$£&¶                                          ¶&£$†»,.¨.
¨,^=***@@@                                          @@@***=^,¨
¨^=/=¤&@##                                          ##@&¤=/=^¨
¨¨.-**£¤£#                                          #£¤£**-.¨¨
¨,¨~»**@§#                 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, #¶¤§$;-,,¨
..¨:«\^&&# and  i  must've picked  it  up  with  my #&&^\«:¨..
.¨¨¨:-^%§§            other belongings.             §§%^-:¨¨¨.
¨,..¨,=*†*                                          *†*=,¨..,¨
,¨..¨¨^«†* it's  a statuette of a girl laying naked *†«^¨¨..¨,
,..¨,,¨,-/ on  her   stomach,   feet  in  the  air, /-,¨,,¨..,
.¨¨.¨¨¨,,~   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ~,,¨¨¨.¨¨.
¨.,,¨,¨,»* freshly made, not yet  completely dried. *»,¨,¨,,.¨
,¨..,¨,~†§                                          §†~,¨,..¨,
,...¨,-^†¤ my mom  is here now. i ask her  for some ¤†^-,¨...,
,,..:=*%§§ particle  board for it to  dry  on,  but §§%*=:..,,
.¨,:«\$*§£ she   is   worried  and   wants   me  to £§*$\«:,¨.
..:«;$%@¶#              throw it away.              #¶@%$;«:..
,,«*^$¤###                                          ###¤$^*«,,
.¨~»^$$£#@                                          @#£$$^»~¨.
,¨..~:§£#£                                          £#£§:~..¨,
,¨.¨,~/%@@                                          @@%/~,¨.¨,
.¨,..^=;*§                                          §*;=^..,¨.
..¨,,¨-=*§                                          §*=-¨,,¨..