¨..¨,»:†&¤                                          ¤&†:»,¨..¨
¨..^«†%¤@#                                          #@¤%†«^..¨
¨¨-~\†$§£@                                          @£§$†\~-¨¨
¨-~\%%@#@#                                          #@#@%%\~-¨
¨¨.«;%$§¶#                                          #¶§$%;«.¨¨
,¨,,»^%¤¤£                 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, ##*$^»:¨.,
¨.,.-=/%%¤   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ¤%%/=-.,.¨
,¨,.,:~=*% freshly  made, not yet completely dried. %*=~:,.,¨,
,,.¨,..~;%                                          %;~..,¨.,,
¨..¨¨¨¨:«^ my  mom is here now. i  ask her for some ^«:¨¨¨¨..¨
,..,..,,,= particle  board for  it to  dry on,  but =,,,..,..,
.¨¨,¨¨.,.- she   is  worried   and   wants   me  to -.,.¨¨,¨¨.
,,,.,..¨..              throw it away.              ..¨..,.,,,
¨,,¨,..¨.¨                                          ¨.¨..,¨,,¨
,.¨¨¨,.¨..                                          ..¨.,¨¨¨.,
..¨.¨...,,                                          ,,...¨.¨..
.¨¨,,.¨,-=                                          =-,¨.,,¨¨.
.,,,..¨^~*                                          *~^¨..,,,.
.¨¨,,¨^-:$                                          $:-^¨,,¨¨.