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