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