,¨.¨.~~\*%                                          %*\~~.¨.¨,
¨,,¨,,^-\†                                          †\-^,,¨,,¨
¨.¨..,.-~†                                          †~-.,..¨.¨
.¨¨,¨¨¨,~~                                          ~~,¨¨¨,¨¨.
,¨.,,,..=:                                          :=..,,,.¨,
¨,¨..¨^-^=                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.              *~:,...,,.
.,,,,,¨¨--                                          --¨¨,,,,,.
¨¨,,¨,,~«;                                          ;«~,,¨,,¨¨
...,.,~»^=                                          =^»~,.,...
...¨¨,«;*¤                                          ¤*;«,¨¨...
.¨¨,~~*=@¤                                          ¤@=*~~,¨¨.
..¨,«;=&##                                          ##&=;«,¨..