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