¨.,.¨,-^*£                                          £*^-,¨.,.¨
¨¨.¨¨.:»=*                                          *=»:.¨¨.¨¨
,¨¨,,¨.~»:                                          :»~.¨,,¨¨,
,,..¨,,¨:=                                          =:¨,,¨..,,
.,¨,,,.,~=                                          =~,.,,,¨,.
.¨,.,,^-:%                 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.              \~,,¨...,.
.,¨.¨..¨.-                                          -.¨..¨.¨,.
.,,,.¨.-~^                                          ^~-.¨.,,,.
¨.,..¨~~;%                                          %;~~¨..,.¨
¨¨,..:~†$$                                          $$†~:..,¨¨
¨.,,-«=^¤£                                          £¤^=«-,,.¨
¨¨¨:«*%*¤#                                          #¤*%*«:¨¨¨