¨,,.¨..^=*                                          *=^..¨.,,¨
..,¨.,.,^=                                          =^,.,.¨,..
,¨¨,,,.~«/                                          /«~.,,,¨¨,
,,..¨,~«\$                                          $\«~,¨..,,
...¨.,=††£                                          £††=,.¨...
,,,¨~~^=$&                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. #$%;«,,,.¨
,,,..,-†=¤                                          ¤=†-,..,,,
¨......»†† my mom  is here now. i ask her for  some ††»......¨
.¨,¨.,,~~* particle board for it  to  dry  on,  but *~~,,.¨,¨.
.¨¨,¨..¨-~ she   is  worried  and   wants   me   to ~-¨..¨,¨¨.
¨,¨.¨¨..«^              throw it away.              ^«..¨¨.¨,¨
,¨..,..=**                                          **=..,..¨,
.,¨¨.:-*%&                                          &%*-:.¨¨,.
,¨.¨~»;^*&                                          &*^;»~¨.¨,
....«\*$¤@                                          @¤$*\«....
¨,,===£§¶#                                          #¶§£===,,¨
¨-~**§&###                                          ###&§**~-¨