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