,¨...:»††£                                          £††»:...¨,
..¨¨.,:~/†                                          †/~:,.¨¨..
¨.¨,.,.-=*                                          *=-.,.,¨.¨
¨......~†^                                          ^†~......¨
..¨,¨,«:†*                                          *†:«,¨,¨..
.,...~†*@&                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 @$*:«~¨¨..
.¨.,¨,~*%£              throw it away.              £%*~,¨,.¨.
¨.,,¨,:-=§                                          §=-:,¨,,.¨
¨.,¨,,.,«=                                          =«,.,,¨,.¨
¨¨¨,,¨.~/§                                          §/~.¨,,¨¨¨
,¨.,,^~\*%                                          %*\~^,,.¨,
,¨,¨.=*=¤&                                          &¤=*=.¨,¨,
¨.¨:=*$£§@                                          @§£$*=:¨.¨