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