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