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