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