¨,,,¨¨-==%                                          %==-¨¨,,,¨
¨.,,,..^«=                                          =«^..,,,.¨
,¨.¨¨.,¨:~                                          ~:¨,.¨¨.¨,
¨,.¨,¨¨¨.,                                          ,.¨¨¨,¨.,¨
,,¨.,,,..»                                          »..,,,.¨,,
,,,.,¨,-~*                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 $=«,¨.¨,¨¨
¨¨...,,.== on  her   stomach,  feet  in  the   air, ==.,,...¨¨
¨.,.¨.¨,:~   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ~:,¨.¨.,.¨
..¨,,.,.¨, freshly  made, not yet completely dried. ,¨.,.,,¨..
¨..¨¨,,,~«                                          «~,,,¨¨..¨
¨,..,.¨~~; my  mom is here now. i ask her for  some ;~~¨.,..,¨
¨.,..,,=:§ particle  board  for it to  dry  on, but §:=,,..,.¨
,.¨,,.~†%* she   is  worried   and  wants   me   to *%†~.,,¨.,
.,,.,~**£#              throw it away.              #£**~,.,,.
,¨¨,-*§%£#                                          #£%§*-,¨¨,
.,.-††*£@#                                          #@£*††-.,.
¨~~\%$¤£##                                          ##£¤$%\~~¨
¨.,«*$*¤##                                          ##¤*$*«,.¨
..¨,-^^¤¤£                                          £¤¤^^-,¨..
.¨..,~*^$§                                          §$^*~,..¨.