,¨.,,~:§£¤                                          ¤£§:~,,.¨,
,¨,,-=^$£#                                          #£$^=-,,¨,
.¨~«;%*§@#                                          #@§*%;«~¨.
.^-;†££###                                          ###££†;-^.
,,.~/^@§##                                          ##§@^/~.,,
,¨¨.-:†§§#                 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. †~,...¨,,,
¨,.¨,..=:$                                          $:=..,¨.,¨
.,,¨¨:~:†* my mom is here  now. i ask  her for some *†:~:¨¨,,.
.,..:»^%¤§ particle  board  for it  to dry on,  but §¤%^»:..,.
¨¨¨:»\=%@# she   is   worried  and  wants   me   to #@%=\»:¨¨¨
,.:~;§£¤@#              throw it away.              #@¤£§;~:.,
¨~-=*$&###                                          ###&$*=-~¨
.,.»/%£§##                                          ##§£%/».,.
,,,:«†^@¤@                                          @¤@^†«:,,,
.,,,,»=%@@                                          @@%=»,,,,.
¨,¨¨,-«\^%                                          %^\«-,¨¨,¨
.¨...,,»:*                                          *:»,,...¨.