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