¨¨...^»=*$                                          $*=»^...¨¨
,.¨,.¨~-=*                                          *=-~¨.,¨.,
..¨¨¨.,,~\                                          \~,,.¨¨¨..
¨.,...¨.~~                                          ~~.¨...,.¨
,.,,¨,,¨,~                                          ~,¨,,¨,,.,
..¨¨.,..,.                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.              *§\=...,¨¨
,,¨.¨,.-†*                                          *†-.,¨.¨,,
,,..,.,.=:                                          :=.,.,..,,
¨¨¨.,,,,,=                                          =,,,,,.¨¨¨
.,...,,¨,,                                          ,,¨,,...,.
.,¨,,..¨,¨                                          ¨,¨..,,¨,.
,,.,,.,..~                                          ~..,.,,.,,