.¨.¨,,-/%¤                                          ¤%/-,,¨.¨.
.,¨..~;%£&                                          &£%;~..¨,.
.¨,:~:%%¤#                                          #¤%%:~:,¨.
.¨:»;*@@£@                                          @£@@*;»:¨.
¨~»^=$#£##                                          ##£#$=^»~¨
..:-\†$§£#                statuette                 #£§$†\-:..
,..,=\%£§@                                          @§£%\=,..,
¨...,«**¤§ $£**¤@%$£*$$%££*«-«-~-~«@£*%$%%¤%¤%@£*$¤ §¤**«,...¨
,,,,,~~/^*                ¤*$&*£%%%                 *^/~~,,,,,
...,¨¨,=^*                                          *^=,¨¨,...
,....,,~»: forests around my childhood home.  thick :»~,,....,
¨.,.¨.,.,- pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and -,.,.¨.,.¨
..¨¨,.¨,¨~      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ~¨,¨.,¨¨..
,¨,,,,¨,:~ underneath, sniffing at the  ground.  it ~:,¨,,,,¨,
,.¨¨¨.,~=^ is dark  and  moist, the  canopy  having ^=~,.¨¨¨.,
,.,¨¨,,~;= already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. =;~,,¨¨,.,
...¨.,~:*§                                          §*:~,.¨...
.,.,^==§§£ there's  a river  passing by,  from east £§§==^,.,.
.¨¨.~;§%££ to  west, getting broader and deeper and ££%§;~.¨¨.
,¨-=:†§### slower as  it goes. equisetum grow  just ###§†:=-¨,
..~\$@¤£## where  the  pine   hands  start  to  let ##£¤@$\~..
,.,~:§¤§## through  light, horsemint  on the  rocky ##§¤§:~,.,
¨...~*†%#@                river bed.                @#%†*~...¨
.,¨¨~«=$¤§                                          §¤$=«~¨¨,.
,.,.¨~«\†§                     *                    §†\«~¨.,.,
¨.¨¨¨,,=^^                                          ^^=,,¨¨¨.¨
,..¨,...~/ the  riverbanks reek of  magic.  tonight /~...,¨..,
¨..¨¨¨,.^- they had been  a swampworld with  sylvan -^.,¨¨¨..¨
,¨,¨.¨.¨., water,  stone  rings  and floating moss. ,.¨.¨.¨,¨,
¨,.,.,,¨-» you could've  found me wallowing  around »-¨,,.,.,¨
..¨,.¨,:~\ on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got \~:,¨.,¨..
.¨¨...-»/§                  bitten.                 §/»-...¨¨.
¨,¨¨.,~:^&                                          &^:~,.¨¨,¨
..¨,^=†*%# but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid #%*†=^,¨..
¨.¨,«;%££# ground, in shoulder-high  grass, with an #££%;«,¨.¨
,,-=*$$§£# 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.              §%*~:,,,..
¨.¨,,.,-**                                          **-,.,,¨.¨
¨,¨..,,,«*                                          *«,,,..¨,¨
,.¨¨,.¨¨~~                                          ~~¨¨.,¨¨.,
¨....,,..,                                          ,..,,....¨
..¨¨¨¨.¨,»                                          »,¨.¨¨¨¨..
¨¨...,¨,-/                                          /-,¨,...¨¨