.,¨.:~^*%¤                                          ¤%*^~:.¨,.
.,¨:»\$*§@                                          @§*$\»:¨,.
...»^§$&¶#                                          #¶&$§^»...
,.~;§§£@##                                          ##@£§§;~.,
¨¨:=\*$¤@#                                          #@¤$*\=:¨¨
,.,,»*%£#@                statuette                 @#£%*»,,.,
.¨.,^~/=£&                                          &£=/~^,.¨.
..¨¨,:-;*¤ §$&&¤%&$%$£§$@££«~»«~«»»¤§$$$$$*%$§¤*¤££ ¤*;-:,¨¨..
¨..,,¨~»*%                ¤$&£&£$@@                 %*»~¨,,..¨
.,¨,,¨¨,~†                                          †~,¨¨,,¨,.
¨,¨¨¨,.¨^~ forests around my childhood home.  thick ~^¨.,¨¨¨,¨
,.,.,.,.,. pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and .,.,.,.,.,
¨,¨,¨.¨,¨¨      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ¨¨,¨.¨,¨,¨
¨,¨¨...,¨. underneath,  sniffing at the  ground. it .¨,...¨¨,¨
...,.,.¨,¨ is  dark and  moist,  the  canopy having ¨,¨.,.,...
,¨¨.,¨.¨.¨ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ¨.¨.¨,.¨¨,
....¨¨.¨¨,                                          ,¨¨.¨¨....
¨..¨,.,¨,, there's  a  river passing by, from  east ,,¨,.,¨..¨
.,.¨¨.,..¨ to west, getting broader and  deeper and ¨..,.¨¨.,.
,,,¨,,,... slower as  it goes.  equisetum grow just ...,,,¨,,,
.,¨,,..¨.~ where  the   pine  hands  start  to  let ~.¨..,,¨,.
,..,,¨,,== through  light,  horsemint on the  rocky ==,,¨,,..,
,¨,..,~-;%                river bed.                %;-~,..,¨,
,.,,,,=\§£                                          £§\=,,,,.,
.,¨¨-=*=$¤                     *                    ¤$=*=-¨¨,.
,.,~»=%@¤£                                          £¤@%=»~,.,
,.,=*%@@@# the  riverbanks  reek of  magic. tonight #@@@%*=,.,
,,~/^@§### they had been a  swampworld  with sylvan ###§@^/~,,
¨¨~»/%%§## water, stone rings  and  floating  moss. ##§%%/»~¨¨
¨,¨~==$¤&@ 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 $^~~,,,,..
..,¨,,»;^& she   is  worried   and   wants   me  to &^;»,,¨,..
,,,,.=^§@&              throw it away.              &@§^=.,,,,
¨,.-~;^%§#                                          #§%^;~-.,¨
.¨.=/$§££#                                          #££§$/=.¨.
,,~\=§¤###                                          ###¤§=\~,,
,.-~\§$§##                                          ##§$§\~-.,
¨¨¨.~\†££¶                                          ¶££†\~.¨¨¨
,,,.:~:%$&                                          &$%:~:.,,,