,¨¨,:»\*£¤                                          ¤£*\»:,¨¨,
.¨,¨¨^~^%£                                          £%^~^¨¨,¨.
,¨,,,¨^»:*                                          *:»^¨,,,¨,
,,..,¨¨^»\                                          \»^¨¨,..,,
,..,,¨¨¨~»                                          »~¨¨¨,,..,
..¨.¨¨¨,.-                 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.              §=~,..¨¨.¨
.,...^-;^%                                          %^;-^...,.
.,¨,~»=§&&                                          &&§=»~,¨,.
¨..,=\†&&¶                                          ¶&&†\=,..¨
.,-~\*%££#                                          #££%*\~-,.
,,«^†§£@@#                                          #@@£§†^«,,
.¨:-/$@££@                                          @££@$/-:¨.