.¨.,^-*§$§                                          §$§*-^,.¨.
¨,..¨~«^†@                                          @†^«~¨..,¨
,,,,.¨,«/$                                          $/«,¨.,,,,
,¨,,,,,,~;                                          ;~,,,,,,¨,
,.,.¨¨,,^»                                          »^,,¨¨.,.,
,...¨¨.,«=                 statuette                =«,.¨¨...,
....¨,:»=$                                          $=»:,¨....
¨,.¨,~~:*£ $@%&%**££$%@£$§%-»~«»~=»$*$**$%$%$£@*$@% £*:~~,¨.,¨
¨.,,.-=**&                %£§*%*$@%                 &**=-.,,.¨
¨.,--*†%@@                                          @@%†*--,.¨
¨.^=;†$#£# forests  around my childhood home. thick #£#$†;=^.¨
¨,~†$&¤¶## pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and ##¶¤&$†~,¨
~~**$&####       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ####&$**~~
.:~^%*&### 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.              §£†;--,,¨.
,¨,^-\*&£@                                          @£&*\-^,¨,
.¨:~^*£@@@                                          @@@£*^~:¨.
,.«*§%¤#@#                                          #@#¤%§*«.,
,«†**£#@##                                          ##@#£**†«,
,~«:§*¤###                                          ###¤*§:«~,
¨¨.=/$$@#@                                          @#@$$/=.¨¨