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