,....¨^~^†                                          †^~^¨....,
¨¨,,¨,¨.-*                                          *-.¨,¨,,¨¨
.¨,,¨..¨-«                                          «-¨..¨,,¨.
¨.¨....¨.,                                          ,.¨....¨.¨
.¨¨¨,¨¨,..                                          ..,¨¨,¨¨¨.
¨,,,..,,.~                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.              *;=~¨,,,,.
¨¨,.¨¨¨~=\                                          \=~¨¨¨.,¨¨
.,,,,¨,,,-                                          -,,,¨,,,,.
.¨¨..¨,.,~                                          ~,.,¨..¨¨.
.,.¨.,¨,,¨                                          ¨,,¨,.¨.,.
.,.¨¨,¨¨,-                                          -,¨¨,¨¨.,.
¨¨.¨.,,,,«                                          «,,,,.¨.¨¨