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