,...¨-=:*%                                          %*:=-¨...,
¨..¨.,-~:*                                          *:~-,.¨..¨
¨.¨.,,¨-«:                                          :«-¨,,.¨.¨
,¨,.¨.¨.:«                                          «:.¨.¨.,¨,
¨¨....¨¨,~                                          ~,¨¨....¨¨
.¨.,¨..¨^~                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.            @&$*†~:¨,,
,,,,:»:†&@                                          @&†:»:,,,,
,..¨¨,~/%% it's a statuette of  a girl laying naked %%/~,¨¨..,
¨....¨.~/† on   her  stomach,  feet  in   the  air, †/~.¨....¨
,¨,,¨¨,-»^   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ^»-,¨¨,,¨,
.¨.,,.,,.= freshly  made, not yet completely dried. =.,,.,,.¨.
...,¨.,,,^                                          ^,,,.¨,...
..¨¨¨¨¨¨,- my mom is  here now. i ask  her for some -,¨¨¨¨¨¨..
,.,,.,.:-/ particle board for it  to  dry  on,  but /-:.,.,,.,
,¨¨,,¨^~\^ she   is   worried   and  wants  me   to ^\~^¨,,¨¨,
,,.,¨:-:%¤              throw it away.              ¤%:-:¨,.,,
,,¨,,-\%£@                                          @£%\-,,¨,,
¨,,^~\=%@#                                          #@%=\~^,,¨
,.,»*§&#@#                                          #@#&§*»,.,
,^«^^§&@@#                                          #@@&§^^«^,
,¨:~*†$&¶#                                          #¶&$†*~:¨,
¨¨.~»:=&#¶                                          ¶#&=:»~.¨¨