,,.¨¨,«==§                                          §==«,¨¨.,,
,,.,,,:=:$                                          $:=:,,,.,,
¨¨,.,¨.,-^                                          ^-,.¨,.,¨¨
,,¨,¨.¨¨^~                                          ~^¨¨.¨,¨,,
..,¨¨..^~;                                          ;~^..¨¨,..
,,,,..-»^*                statuette                 *^»-..,,,,
¨¨...,~/=£                                          £=/~,...¨¨
...,,-*§££ @$£$£§$%¤$*£$@%¤~»~«~~=«@£§¤%§£&%$%¤£¤¤* ££§*-,,...
..,~~†§£@£                §§*%£$&@$                 £@£§†~~,..
...»=†*#£#                                          #£#*†=»...
¨,=;%£&@## 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 §$††~^,¨¨,
.,,¨¨-=\=¤ particle board  for it  to dry  on,  but ¤=\=-¨¨,,.
¨¨.¨,.,«:^ she   is  worried   and  wants   me   to ^:«,.,¨.¨¨
,.¨...,^~^              throw it away.              ^~^,...¨.,
¨¨.,.,,.,»                                          »,.,,.,.¨¨
¨¨,,.¨¨.-\                                          \-.¨¨.,,¨¨
,..,.¨,-;*                                          *;-,¨.,..,
¨¨,¨¨~~†%%                                          %%†~~¨¨,¨¨
,.¨,:«\§*¤                                          ¤*§\«:,¨.,
¨,¨,»/*$¤@                                          @¤$*/»,¨,¨