¨,,^«^*£#@                                          @#£*^«^,,¨
..,»;^££@#                                          #@££^;»,..
,~-:%¤#¶##                                          ##¶#¤%:-~,
..:«\$*&#@                                          @#&*$\«:..
,¨¨,~=%£¤£                                          £¤£%=~,¨¨,
¨¨.,,«=^£§                statuette                 §£^=«,,.¨¨
.¨¨¨¨^«;$£                                          £$;«^¨¨¨¨.
.¨,,,.,~:= ¤§%£&%@%¤%@%*§£@~~»«~==»££@%$@%%%&$$*$$$ =:~,.,,,¨.
,..,¨,.~«:                §§$&££¤£¤                 :«~.,¨,..,
.,..,¨.¨.~                                          ~.¨.¨,..,.
..¨,,¨,.¨: forests around my childhood  home. thick :¨.,¨,,¨..
,,,.,.,.~« pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and «~.,.,.,,,
.,,¨...~-/      forgotten. wild boars roaming       /-~...¨,,.
.¨,...~~^* underneath,  sniffing at the  ground. it *^~~...,¨.
¨,...,-;%$ 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.              *~-¨¨.¨¨¨.
.,.¨,.¨,-~                                          ~-,¨.,¨.,.
¨.¨¨,,,,.,                                          ,.,,,,¨¨.¨
¨,.,.,¨,~»                                          »~,¨,.,.,¨
¨¨,.,,.--^                                          ^--.,,.,¨¨
.,,¨¨,:~=*                                          *=~:,¨¨,,.
,¨¨...»*%¤                                          ¤%*»...¨¨,