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