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