¨,,,,.,«†*                                          *†«,.,,,,¨
¨¨.¨¨¨.-~=                                          =~-.¨¨¨.¨¨
¨,,¨¨,¨,^~                                          ~^,¨,¨¨,,¨
.¨¨....¨¨,                                          ,¨¨....¨¨.
,¨.¨¨¨¨..¨                                          ¨..¨¨¨¨.¨,
,¨.¨.,,..,                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.              §/~~,,,¨,,
.,,.¨..:»^                                          ^»:..¨.,,.
.¨¨.,¨,.^~                                          ~^.,¨,.¨¨.
.¨.¨,,¨,¨-                                          -¨,¨,,¨.¨.
,,.,¨.,..¨                                          ¨..,.¨,.,,
.¨,¨¨....~                                          ~....¨¨,¨.
,¨..,.¨.:«                                          «:.¨.,..¨,