..¨,,.~=*%                                          %*=~.,,¨..
¨,,¨..,~\%                                          %\~,..¨,,¨
¨,..,,=;*%                                          %*;=,,..,¨
..¨.^~*%$¤                                          ¤$%*~^.¨..
.,.~»/*$§#                                          #§$*/»~.,.
¨.~=*%@@##                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. ##@$=/«^.,
.¨.~«;*£&@                                          @&£*;«~.¨.
¨,,¨:«†*§£ my  mom is here now. i  ask her for some £§*†«:¨,,¨
¨,¨..,~†*& particle board for  it  to  dry on,  but &*†~,..¨,¨
¨,¨¨¨,,»** she   is   worried   and  wants   me  to **»,,¨¨¨,¨
¨..¨,~«:*§              throw it away.              §*:«~,¨..¨
,.,,,«**$&                                          &$**«,,,.,
¨,,-=^^%§@                                          @§%^^=-,,¨
,,^~†§£&£#                                          #£&£§†~^,,
¨.~=^£§£##                                          ##£§£^=~.¨
¨,.~\*@@##                                          ##@@*\~.,¨
.¨¨~«*$&§@                                          @§&$*«~¨¨.