,¨¨.,»/*£&                                          &£*/»,.¨¨,
....~\$*&@                                          @&*$\~....
,,,~^*@§#@                                          @#§@*^~,,,
¨~-^$£§¶@#                                          #@¶§£$^-~¨
.¨,«\*%&##                                          ##&%*\«,¨.
,¨..~/§$##                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.              *^-,.,,.,,
,¨¨¨.¨¨.-/                                          /-.¨¨.¨¨¨,
¨¨¨.¨¨.,.~                                          ~.,.¨¨.¨¨¨
.¨¨¨¨,..¨.                                          .¨..,¨¨¨¨.
,.....,.,»                                          »,.,.....,
,.,¨¨...~*                                          *~...¨¨,.,
¨.,.,.,-^$                                          $^-,.,.,.¨