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