.¨.,:«;†&£                                          £&†;«:,.¨.
,.,.-;%£&¶                                          ¶&£%;-.,.,
¨,:«\$&###                                          ###&$\«:,¨
¨:«/†&§£##                                          ##£§&†/«:¨
.,:-†*%£@#                                          #@£%*†-:,.
.,,~=/*£¤#                 statuette                #¤£*/=~,,.
,..,-«=*£&                                          &£*=«-,..,
.,¨¨¨.~==@ £¤&§%££%$*££%@%*~~~~==~-%§££$£%$¤£$**%£$ @==~.¨¨¨,.
¨,.¨,¨,==*                &*%¤£§$%$                 *==,¨,¨.,¨
¨,,¨,,,.«^                                          ^«.,,,¨,,¨
,¨,,¨¨,,^« 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.              *\~:,.,,..
,¨...,¨,«/                                          /«,¨,...¨,
..¨.,.,¨.~                                          ~.¨,.,.¨..
.¨¨¨¨,..¨~                                          ~¨..,¨¨¨¨.
.¨¨.,,.,^»                                          »^,.,,.¨¨.
,,,¨¨¨.,=*                                          *=,.¨¨¨,,,
¨.,,,¨--/†                                          †/--¨,,,.¨