.¨,.,..^«\                                          \«^..,.,¨.
¨¨,,¨,,~:%                                          %:~,,¨,,¨¨
¨¨..¨,«=*¤                                          ¤*=«,¨..¨¨
,.¨¨:~/*$@                                          @$*/~:¨¨.,
.¨¨,~\%%§#                                          #§%%\~,¨¨.
¨..«*=$§¶@                 statuette                @¶§$=*«..¨
¨^»;$£@¶##                                          ##¶@£$;»^¨
.,--\%$¤@@ $¤$£%@£¤%@%¤**£$»-=-=«»~*$&£%@%£¤$$¤£%£% @@¤$%\--,.
,,.,-/*$¤#                 &$£%&%&¤@                #¤$*/-,.,,
,...~==^&¤                                          ¤&^==~...,
.,¨.,.=^=@ forests around my childhood  home. thick @=^=.,.¨,.
.,.,,¨~~/$ pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and $/~~¨,,.,.
¨.,..¨.:«=       forgotten. wild boars roaming      =«:.¨..,.¨
¨¨¨¨¨.,¨~~ underneath, sniffing at the  ground.  it ~~¨,.¨¨¨¨¨
..¨¨¨¨,.»\ is  dark  and  moist, the  canopy having \».,¨¨¨¨..
...¨¨,~=^^ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ^^=~,¨¨...
,.¨,¨,~\$@                                          @$\~,¨,¨.,
,¨.,.=/^£¤ there's  a river  passing by, from  east ¤£^/=.,.¨,
,,¨:«^%@## to  west, getting broader and deeper and ##@%^«:¨,,
,¨-«=%%&@# slower as  it  goes. equisetum grow just #@&%%=«-¨,
,-=;%&¤@## where  the  pine  hands  start   to  let ##@¤&%;=-,
.¨~~==$£@# through  light,  horsemint on the  rocky #@£$==~~¨.
,¨¨-~;§@@@                river bed.                @@@§;~-¨¨,
¨.,¨^-^=¤@                                          @¤=^-^¨,.¨
¨,.,¨-=:$$                     ;                    $$:=-¨,.,¨
.¨¨.,,:~††                                          ††~:,,.¨¨.
¨¨¨.,,¨:-/ 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.              &%;-.,.¨¨.
..,,^~*%*@                                          @*%*~^,,..
,..,-:*&§@                                          @§&*:-,..,
¨..»==%#@@                                          @@#%==»..¨
.:-*†£§¶##                                          ##¶§£†*-:.
,¨-~†*£§£#                                          #£§£*†~-¨,
¨.,,~=*&#¶                                          ¶#&*=~,,.¨