,..,.-~*=&                                          &=*~-.,..,
¨¨¨.~«^†@§                                          §@†^«~.¨¨¨
.,.-~^†%§@                                          @§%†^~-.,.
.,.»;*£&¶#                                          #¶&£*;».,.
¨-~/$¤¤£##                                          ##£¤¤$/~-¨
¨¨^~;=&###                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 £#$$\=.¨.¨
.¨^«:†$@@@ backyard.  from my pockets i retrieve my @@@$†:«^¨.
¨,~††@#@## radio  (now  dented)  but  also  a small ##@#@††~,¨
.¨~=^%$&#@ clay figure i've  never seen before.  it @#&$%^=~¨.
,,,.-:*§&@ must have  been laying in  the wet dirt, @&§*:-.,,,
,,.,~»^§£@ and  i  must've  picked  it  up  with my @£§^»~,.,,
,.,.¨,=;§%             other belongings.            %§;=,¨.,.,
.,¨¨¨.,=/†                                          †/=,.¨¨¨,.
....¨¨¨,-† it's a statuette of a  girl laying naked †-,¨¨¨....
,,,¨,,.¨.» on  her  stomach,   feet  in   the  air, ».¨.,,¨,,,
,¨.,.¨,¨,,   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ,,¨,¨.,.¨,
¨..,..,.¨. freshly  made, not yet completely dried. .¨.,..,..¨
,,.¨.¨¨¨,:                                          :,¨¨¨.¨.,,
.,.¨¨..¨~« my mom is here now.  i ask her  for some «~¨..¨¨.,.
...¨,¨.:~/ particle board for  it  to  dry on,  but /~:.¨,¨...
,,.¨,,-~\* she   is   worried   and  wants  me   to *\~-,,¨.,,
.¨,¨¨.»/*@              throw it away.              @*/».¨¨,¨.
¨.,¨,=/†@£                                          £@†/=,¨,.¨
.,.-~/†$@£                                          £@$†/~-.,.
..~»\$$¤@@                                          @@¤$$\»~..
..»:=$@¶##                                          ##¶@$=:»..
.¨~«=^%¤##                                          ##¤%^=«~¨.
,,.-~\^*##                                          ##*^\~-.,,