¨,.¨¨.¨,-=                                          =-,¨.¨¨.,¨
¨,¨.,,...,                                          ,...,,.¨,¨
,..,.¨¨¨.,                                          ,.¨¨¨.,..,
¨¨.¨¨¨¨...                                          ...¨¨¨¨.¨¨
¨.¨¨¨¨..:~                                          ~:..¨¨¨¨.¨
,¨,,,¨,.»*                 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.              ~,¨¨¨.,¨¨,
,¨,,,,,.¨,                                          ,¨.,,,,,¨,
,.,,,¨,,.¨                                          ¨.,,¨,,,.,
...,¨¨.,¨~                                          ~¨,.¨¨,...
,¨...¨¨¨^=                                          =^¨¨¨...¨,
.,,,.,.:«*                                          *«:.,.,,,.
,,¨,¨,,~*%                                          %*~,,¨,¨,,