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