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