¨,,¨,«:^¤@                                          @¤^:«,¨,,¨
,,,.¨-=/*$                                          $*/=-¨.,,,
..¨¨,.~~†%                                          %†~~.,¨¨..
,,..¨,,-~;                                          ;~-,,¨..,,
,,...¨~~/§                                          §/~~¨...,,
¨¨,,.^~^§¤                 statuette                ¤§^~^.,,¨¨
¨,.,:«/*$¤                                          ¤$*/«:,.,¨
¨¨.-=:*@#@ &*£*@£%$£§@£$@£%=»»»=-~«$£££%%§£%$$*%£§% @#@*:=-.¨¨
,,.=\†£§@#                §§¤$§£&%%                 #@§£†\=.,,
¨,~:=$££##                                          ##££$=:~,¨
¨¨~~\%&@#@ forests around  my childhood home. thick @#@&%\~~¨¨
..¨,==^&¤£ pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and £¤&^==,¨..
¨.¨¨,»/*@¤       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ¤@*/»,¨¨.¨
¨,,,¨,«**% underneath,  sniffing at the  ground. it %**«,¨,,,¨
¨.¨,¨¨-«/$ 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.              &%†:~^¨,.¨
¨,¨¨.:-^§&                                          &§^-:.¨¨,¨
.,,¨,.:»*†                                          †*»:.,¨,,.
.¨¨,¨..:-/                                          /-:..¨,¨¨.
.,.,.,,»=%                                          %=»,,.,.,.
¨...¨:=^§§                                          §§^=:¨...¨
¨....«:=&§                                          §&=:«....¨