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