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