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