¨,~*†£¶###                                          ###¶£†*~,¨
,.:«:†§@##                                          ##@§†:«:.,
¨..^«*^$@#                                          #@$^*«^..¨
¨..¨.«^*$@                                          @$*^«.¨..¨
.....^»†%$                                          $%†»^.....
,¨..,.,~**                 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.              ^~-.,,.,¨,
,......¨,~                                          ~,¨......,
¨..,¨,..,,                                          ,,..,¨,..¨
¨¨,.,,¨¨..                                          ..¨¨,,.,¨¨
,¨¨¨.¨¨,.,                                          ,.,¨¨.¨¨¨,
.,¨..¨,,¨,                                          ,¨,,¨..¨,.
¨¨¨,.,,¨,¨                                          ¨,¨,,.,¨¨¨