..¨,,,-\^*                                          *^\-,,,¨..
.¨¨.¨,^«^§                                          §^«^,¨.¨¨.
,..¨.¨.:»:                                          :»:.¨.¨..,
¨.,.¨¨.¨-«                                          «-¨.¨¨.,.¨
,,¨,¨¨.-=^                                          ^=-.¨¨,¨,,
.¨,¨¨¨.~\^                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.              †-^¨¨¨,,¨¨
..¨.,.,.-«                                          «-.,.,.¨..
.,.¨,,.^~:                                          :~^.,,¨.,.
..¨.¨.:==%                                          %==:.¨.¨..
.,.,,-=/^£                                          £^/=-,,.,.
...¨:»†%&@                                          @&%†»:¨...
,.,-»*$%&#                                          #&%$*»-,.,