,,..,~-^†£                                          £†^-~,..,,
.¨,.,»:§$¤                                          ¤$§:»,.,¨.
¨¨¨:~^*%£@                                          @£%*^~:¨¨¨
.,,«/^&¤@#                                          #@¤&^/«,,.
¨:~^§$¤£##                                          ##£¤$§^~:¨
,,-«\*$¤##                 statuette                ##¤$*\«-,,
,.¨.«:*&¤¶                                          ¶¤&*:«.¨.,
.,¨,~=^^$& %££**§&$%*%$&%*$~~~»~-~~%@*&£¤$@@@$%$&@% &$^^=~,¨,.
..,,¨~»/%%                 &£¤@$%£*¤                %%/»~¨,,..
,,,¨¨.^-^†                                          †^-^.¨¨,,,
..¨....^«/ forests  around my childhood home. thick /«^....¨..
,,.,,,.,,= pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and =,,.,,,.,,
¨¨..¨.,..-       forgotten. wild boars roaming      -..,.¨..¨¨
.,..¨,¨¨.» underneath, sniffing at  the  ground. it ».¨¨,¨..,.
¨,,¨,¨..-= is  dark  and  moist, the  canopy having =-..¨,¨,,¨
¨,,¨.¨^=;= already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. =;=^¨.¨,,¨
,,,,¨^~†%*                                          *%†~^¨,,,,
,¨¨¨,»*^$& 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.              £^\»-¨¨¨,¨
.,.¨,.,=;^                                          ^;=,.,¨.,.
.¨.,¨,¨.«;                                          ;«.¨,¨,.¨.
,¨..,¨.¨-»                                          »-¨.¨,..¨,
¨.,¨,..,,~                                          ~,,..,¨,.¨
¨¨.,¨,..-=                                          =-..,¨,.¨¨
,.,..,,:»^                                          ^»:,,..,.,