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