.¨.,:=:†%&                                          &%†:=:,.¨.
¨,.¨¨--:§@                                          @§:--¨¨.,¨
,¨¨¨.¨,=/†                                          †/=,¨.¨¨¨,
¨,,..¨.:»†                                          †»:.¨..,,¨
¨¨,.,..¨:~                                          ~:¨..,.,¨¨
¨,,,,...,.                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 @%$/«:.¨,.
,,,-~**£&# clay figure i've  never  seen before. it #&£**~-,,,
.¨,~^†@&@# must have been  laying in  the wet dirt, #@&@†^~,¨.
,,«^*&&### and  i  must've  picked  it  up with  my ###&&*^«,,
.,~=*=%#£#            other belongings.             #£#%=*=~,.
..,:=^*££@                                          @££*^=:,..
¨¨,¨,=:*£@ it's a statuette of a  girl laying naked @£*:=,¨,¨¨
.,¨¨.-»/†§ on  her   stomach,   feet  in  the  air, §†/»-.¨¨,.
..¨.,¨.»=*   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   *=».¨,.¨..
,.¨¨.,¨.~^ freshly made, not yet completely  dried. ^~.¨,.¨¨.,
¨¨.,¨¨¨,,»                                          »,,¨¨¨,.¨¨
,,,¨.,¨.., my mom is here now. i ask her  for  some ,..¨,.¨,,,
¨¨.,,,,¨^~ particle  board  for  it  to dry on, but ~^¨,,,,.¨¨
¨.¨,¨,¨:~\ she  is   worried  and   wants   me   to \~:¨,¨,¨.¨
,,,¨.¨:»^†              throw it away.              †^»:¨.¨,,,
¨¨,¨,.=;†£                                          £†;=.,¨,¨¨
..¨.:~\$¤§                                          §¤$\~:.¨..
,¨¨-=:^*@@                                          @@*^:=-¨¨,
¨,-~:%%£¶#                                          #¶£%%:~-,¨
¨^~==&¤@##                                          ##@¤&==~^¨
,¨:«/*£@£#                                          #£@£*/«:¨,