..¨¨,,..~\                                          \~..,,¨¨..
,..,.¨,«\*                                          *\«,¨.,..,
,¨¨.¨^«=%&                                          &%=«^¨.¨¨,
.,¨¨~==§@#                                          #@§==~¨¨,.
,¨,:»\^&@#                                          #@&^\»:,¨,
¨,,«†^$¶##                 statuette                ##¶$^†«,,¨
,-~/%@@@##                                          ##@@@%/~-,
¨,^=^*%@## %$£@$$%**@$£**£%~~»~«««~$£*£$%@*%&$$£%§& ##@%*^=^,¨
¨..,~\§$¶@                %@$%@&*@$                 @¶$§\~,..¨
,¨¨,.«:^&¶                                          ¶&^:«.,¨¨,
¨,¨,,~~:^£ forests around my childhood  home. thick £^:~~,,¨,¨
,¨,..,,~=% pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and %=~,,..,¨,
..¨,.,¨-~:       forgotten. wild boars roaming      :~-¨,.,¨..
.¨,,,¨.,^» underneath,  sniffing at the ground.  it »^,.¨,,,¨.
..¨..,,.»/ is  dark  and  moist, the  canopy having /».,,..¨..
.,.,,.,-\% already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. %\-,.,,.,.
,¨¨,.~=\^£                                          £^\=~.,¨¨,
¨,¨,,=**&@ there's a river passing  by,  from  east @&**=,,¨,¨
¨¨,,~†%¤## to west, getting  broader and deeper and ##¤%†~,,¨¨
¨¨,~†*%¶## slower as it  goes. equisetum grow  just ##¶%*†~,¨¨
..»\%£#@## where  the  pine   hands  start  to  let ##@#£%\»..
¨..~^%%### through  light,  horsemint  on the rocky ###%%^~..¨
..¨.~/=£@@                river bed.                @@£=/~.¨..
,,,¨,~^^%@                                          @%^^~,¨,,,
¨...¨-»\=&                     *                    &=\»-¨...¨
¨.,,¨,,-\†                                          †\-,,¨,,.¨
,,...,,:-† the riverbanks reek  of  magic.  tonight †-:,,...,,
¨,,¨¨,,¨-= they had  been a  swampworld with sylvan =-¨,,¨¨,,¨
.....¨.,~; water,  stone  rings and floating  moss. ;~,.¨.....
,,,.,.:«/^ you could've  found me  wallowing around ^/«:.,.,,,
¨...¨.~†§* on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got *§†~.¨...¨
,.,,:»\*$@                  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.              $*†-.,,,,.
,.,¨,»^*%@                                          @%*^»,¨,.,
,,,:«\*$¶#                                          #¶$*\«:,,,
..^~:*%@##                                          ##@%*:~^..
¨,~;*@####                                          ####@*;~,¨
¨¨:~=%£@@#                                          #@@£%=~:¨¨
.,¨.-;*$##                                          ##$*;-.¨,.