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