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