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