¨,¨¨,^«:$§                                          §$:«^,¨¨,¨
..¨.,»†=&#                                          #&=†»,.¨..
,...~†§*#@                                          @#*§†~...,
.¨.»/†$&¶#                                          #¶&$†/».¨.
..~†^¤&@##                                          ##@&¤^†~..
.¨:-†%§&£#                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 $§=-,,¨..¨
...¨:~/*£& she   is  worried   and  wants   me   to &£*/~:¨...
,..^«/%*£@              throw it away.              @£*%/«^..,
...«^§&@£#                                          #£@&§^«...
¨^~^§&&@##                                          ##@&&§^~^¨
.¨-=/†&#@#                                          #@#&†/=-¨.
,..^=:%$§@                                          @§$%:=^..,
,.,.,«:$@¤                                          ¤@$:«,.,.,
.¨¨...=/%§                                          §%/=...¨¨.