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