,,¨¨~~^§%¶                                          ¶%§^~~¨¨,,
¨¨¨,,,~;=%                                          %=;~,,,¨¨¨
¨..¨.,.~\%                                          %\~.,.¨..¨
,,.,..¨,=†                                          †=,¨..,.,,
¨¨.,.¨¨..=                                          =..¨¨.,.¨¨
,.¨¨.,¨¨.,                 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.              #§=\~.¨¨¨¨
¨,.,.^~:=@                                          @=:~^.,.,¨
.¨,.¨,.»;*                                          *;».,¨.,¨.
.¨,¨¨,¨.-*                                          *-.¨,¨¨,¨.
.¨,,¨..¨.»                                          ».¨..¨,,¨.
...,¨,..¨~                                          ~¨..,¨,...
¨¨¨.,...,.                                          .,...,.¨¨¨