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