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