.¨¨¨¨.¨-~*                                          *~-¨.¨¨¨¨.
.¨....,»/†                                          †/»,....¨.
..,,¨.»/*¤                                          ¤*/».¨,,..
,¨.,-~/§@£                                          £@§/~-,.¨,
..,.~^$%&£                                          £&%$^~.,..
.,,«:*$@¶#                 statuette                #¶@$*:«,,.
.^»=†&&@@#                                          #@@&&†=»^.
,,~=*=¤@@# @$$@$$¤$%*£%%¤%&-»~~~»«-%£¤*@§£%%£%$%&¤@ #@@¤=*=~,,
,..,»†*§&¶                @&$%%$@%£                 ¶&§*†»,..,
.¨,,,-/†$§                                          §$†/-,,,¨.
¨¨,¨.~«:=¤ 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.              *§=~,.,...
¨¨¨¨.~:^¤&                                          &¤^:~.¨¨¨¨
¨,¨.«:^&§£                                          £§&^:«.¨,¨
..^~==£§##                                          ##§£==~^..
.-«*§£##@#                                          #@##£§*«-.
.¨.-:%$££@                                          @££$%:-.¨.
¨,,~~/*$&@                                          @&$*/~~,,¨