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