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