.¨¨,.»;§§&                                          &§§;».,¨¨.
¨¨¨,»/%§§@                                          @§§%/»,¨¨¨
,,:»*%¤¤¶#                                          #¶¤¤%*»:,,
¨^=:†£¤###                                          ###¤£†:=^¨
¨,~-†%*###                                          ###*%†-~,¨
..¨.==*%£@                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   #$%;-^.¨¨,
¨.¨.,,~:^¤ freshly made, not yet  completely dried. ¤^:~,,.¨.¨
¨,..¨..=^*                                          *^=..¨..,¨
,¨..¨¨,:=/ my mom  is here now. i ask  her for some /=:,¨¨..¨,
¨¨.¨¨.:-** particle  board  for  it to  dry on, but **-:.¨¨.¨¨
.¨.¨¨,-=†% she   is   worried  and   wants  me   to %†=-,¨¨.¨.
¨.,.~»;†§§              throw it away.              §§†;»~.,.¨
¨..--;=$£@                                          @£$=;--..¨
¨,^»†$*@##                                          ##@*$†»^,¨
,~»†*§§###                                          ###§§*†»~,
,,.-\%@§@@                                          @@§@%\-.,,
¨¨.,-;$§@@                                          @@§$;-,.¨¨
¨.¨¨^~:%$@                                          @$%:~^¨¨.¨