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