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