,¨,¨.,-:=£                                          £=:-,.¨,¨,
.¨¨..«†*£§                                          §£*†«..¨¨.
.¨.,»:=£§@                                          @§£=:»,.¨.
...~**§¤##                                          ##¤§**~...
¨-=\=£#@##                                          ##@#£=\=-¨
¨,,-\†¤@##                 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, ##&$††»:..
¨,,~«*§@&@   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   @&@§*«~,,¨
.¨¨¨:~/=£@ freshly made, not  yet completely dried. @£=/~:¨¨¨.
,¨.¨¨-»^%£                                          £%^»-¨¨.¨,
,..¨¨,~~^* my mom is here  now.  i ask her for some *^~~,¨¨..,
..,¨¨,¨.«; particle board  for it  to dry  on,  but ;«.¨,¨¨,..
,,,.¨¨--=* she  is   worried   and  wants   me   to *=--¨¨.,,,
..¨..:~^=@              throw it away.              @=^~:..¨..
¨,¨,:=;^$§                                          §$^;=:,¨,¨
¨,,^~^=%@@                                          @@%=^~^,,¨
,¨~«\$£¤¶#                                          #¶¤£$\«~¨,
.,«/§%#@##                                          ##@#%§/«,.
..,~*§%¤@@                                          @@¤%§*~,..
,,,~~\*$£#                                          #£$*\~~,,,