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