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