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