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