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