¨¨..¨..~=%                                          %=~..¨..¨¨
¨¨,..,.-«*                                          *«-.,..,¨¨
...¨..,,--                                          --,,..¨...
,¨¨.¨.¨,.,                                          ,.,¨.¨.¨¨,
,,,,¨,¨,¨¨                                          ¨¨,¨,¨,,,,
¨¨.,,..¨,,                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.              §*=,,¨¨,¨,
....¨¨,.»†                                          †».,¨¨....
,¨¨,,..,,«                                          «,,..,,¨¨,
.¨..¨,¨,,,                                          ,,,¨,¨..¨.
.,..,,¨.,.                                          .,.¨,,..,.
.,,...,¨,,                                          ,,¨,...,,.
.,¨¨,¨¨.-~                                          ~-.¨¨,¨¨,.