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