....¨¨:«/%                                          %/«:¨¨....
..¨,,,«=$§                                          §$=«,,,¨..
¨¨¨,,~*=@¤                                          ¤@=*~,,¨¨¨
¨..,-/=%@#                                          #@%=/-,..¨
,.:«==£§@#                                          #@§£==«:.,
¨-~*^&@@##                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 $;--,.,¨,¨
¨,.,,.«\*¤ she  is   worried   and  wants   me   to ¤*\«.,,.,¨
,,.,,=*^%@              throw it away.              @%^*=,,.,,
..,^=^%§##                                          ##§%^=^,..
¨¨,-;*$§##                                          ##§$*;-,¨¨
.,~:^%&###                                          ###&%^:~,.
¨¨-~:*%&¶#                                          #¶&%*:~-¨¨
¨¨¨.=^§%¤¶                                          ¶¤%§^=.¨¨¨
¨,.¨.~/*£#                                          #£*/~.¨.,¨