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