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