,.,..~/=§§                                          §§=/~..,.,
,¨,.»*=$£@                                          @£$=*».,¨,
¨.^«†$&#£#                                          #£#&$†«^.¨
¨,-=*£¤£@#                                          #@£¤£*=-,¨
¨.,»:*&§¶#                                          #¶§&*:»,.¨
,.,~»†*@@#                 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 #¶¤$*;=,..
¨,«†=&#£@# to  get  up,   still  looking   at   the #@£#&=†«,¨
¨.,«††£### direction  of  sound rather than  at  my ###£††«,.¨
,¨¨^=\%*@¶ hands,  who  are busy putting  things in ¶@*%\=^¨¨,
¨,¨.,=†^£§               my pockets.                §£^†=,.¨,¨
..,,.~«*^%                                          %^*«~.,,..
,¨¨,,¨-~:† then   i  run  east  toward   my   home. †:~-¨,,¨¨,
¨,.¨,,.,=*                                          *=,.,,¨.,¨
.¨.,,..¨,=                    \                     =,¨..,,.¨.
....¨.,:-†                                          †-:,.¨....
¨,¨,.¨~~*% i am not  followed, and slow down in the %*~~¨.,¨,¨
¨,¨,..»*%@ clearing where  you  at first  can  spot @%*»..,¨,¨
¨,,¨,-:*¤& the  house,  not   yet  really  in   the &¤*:-,¨,,¨
..¨:=\=%¤¶ backyard. from my  pockets i retrieve my ¶¤%=\=:¨..
..-~^†£&@# radio (now  dented)  but  also  a  small #@&£†^~-..
.--:*£#¶## clay figure i've  never seen  before. it ##¶#£*:--.
.¨,~==§#¶# must have  been laying in the wet  dirt, #¶#§==~,¨.
.¨.:~:=¤&¶ and  i  must've  picked  it up  with  my ¶&¤=:~:.¨.
,¨.,:~^%£&            other belongings.             &£%^~:,.¨,
..¨,..~^†§                                          §†^~..,¨..
¨.,¨,,:«^* it's a statuette of a girl laying  naked *^«:,,¨,.¨
.,..¨,,.»: on   her   stomach,  feet  in  the  air, :».,,¨..,.
¨,,¨.,,¨-~   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ~-¨,,.¨,,¨
.,¨,,.¨.-= freshly  made, not yet completely dried. =-.¨.,,¨,.
¨.,,,¨:«\%                                          %\«:¨,,,.¨
¨¨¨,,.«:*% my  mom is here now. i  ask her for some %*:«.,,¨¨¨
.¨¨¨,~**¤§ particle board  for it  to  dry  on, but §¤**~,¨¨¨.
¨¨,--†^¤&@ she   is  worried   and   wants  me   to @&¤^†--,¨¨
¨.,~\%%&@@              throw it away.              @@&%%\~,.¨
¨,~;$@§###                                          ###§@$;~,¨
.¨,«†=£¤£#                                          #£¤£=†«,¨.
,.¨.~:§$@@                                          @@$§:~.¨.,
¨,.,~~=$§£                                          £§$=~~,.,¨
.¨¨¨.~~;*&                                          &*;~~.¨¨¨.
¨¨,¨¨.^~;%                                          %;~^.¨¨,¨¨