¨¨¨¨,:=†%$                                          $%†=:,¨¨¨¨
¨.,.¨,~«=§                                          §=«~,¨.,.¨
..,.,¨.,»=                                          =»,.¨,.,..
.,¨.,¨,=^*                                          *^=,¨,.¨,.
..,,.:-/^$                                          $^/-:.,,..
,,,¨:~\$&£                statuette                 £&$\~:¨,,,
...-=^*§@#                                          #@§*^=-...
¨¨,-*§%£## ¤§§$¤¤§*§%$£££&&-~--~=»~£&%%&$£§£&&%%@%& ##£%§*-,¨¨
.,»\†*@@##                 %££%@$$*@                ##@@*†\»,.
.,-~^†%¶##                                          ##¶%†^~-,.
,.,~«=*$¶# forests  around my childhood home. thick #¶$*=«~,.,
.¨,.:«†^££ 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.              §%;=,.,.¨,
..¨¨,,.«*%                                          %*«.,,¨¨..
,,¨..¨,-~^                                          ^~-,¨..¨,,
,,,.¨.,«**                                          **«,.¨.,,,
.,.,¨:~/^£                                          £^/~:¨,.,.
¨..,.»;*¤@                                          @¤*;».,..¨
,¨,,«;*&£#                                          #£&*;«,,¨,