.¨¨¨.¨..«/                                          /«..¨.¨¨¨.
.¨¨,,¨,~:*                                          *:~,¨,,¨¨.
.¨,,¨^~^%*                                          *%^~^¨,,¨.
¨.¨,.«^%£&                                          &£%^«.,¨.¨
.,¨^~*$%¤@                                          @¤%$*~^¨,.
,.,==§$£#@                statuette                 @#£$§==,.,
.,~††£#¶##                                          ##¶#£††~,.
,¨.»;*§##@ $$¤£§$£@%¤£¤@$£*»=»~»»~-%@¤*%§§£&@%%*&*£ @##§*;».¨,
,,..«†*@£@                ££§%$§£&£                 @£@*†«..,,
¨,¨¨-»*%$£                                          £$%*»-¨¨,¨
.,¨,.^-=†& forests around my childhood home.  thick &†=-^.,¨,.
.¨.¨¨.,«†* pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and *†«,.¨¨.¨.
..,.,,,^-/       forgotten. wild boars roaming      /-^,,,.,..
,¨.,,.¨¨~= underneath, sniffing at  the ground.  it =~¨¨.,,.¨,
¨.,.¨.¨-»† is dark  and  moist, the  canopy  having †»-¨.¨.,.¨
.,,,,¨~«/† already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. †/«~¨,,,,.
,¨,¨¨.«:†@                                          @†:«.¨¨,¨,
,¨¨,,-**¤£ there's a  river  passing  by, from east £¤**-,,¨¨,
.,,,=\*¤## to west,  getting broader and deeper and ##¤*\=,,,.
¨.~~*†$§¶# 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.             #@@&$§=~^,
.¨-~†$£&##                                          ##&£$†~-¨.
...-~/*££@ it's a statuette of  a girl laying naked @££*/~-...
¨.¨,-=†^*@ on   her  stomach,   feet  in  the  air, @*^†=-,¨.¨
,¨¨¨¨.-/**   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   **/-.¨¨¨¨,
¨.,¨..^»:% freshly made, not yet completely  dried. %:»^..¨,.¨
,,..,¨¨,«/                                          /«,¨¨,..,,
¨¨..,¨.,.~ my mom is  here now. i ask her  for some ~.,.¨,..¨¨
¨,.,....«\ particle board for  it  to  dry on,  but \«....,.,¨
,,,,¨,:~:† she  is  worried   and   wants   me   to †:~:,¨,,,,
,¨¨.¨-~^*&              throw it away.              &*^~-¨.¨¨,
.,¨¨~~;§££                                          ££§;~~¨¨,.
.,.,~†^$@#                                          #@$^†~,.,.
,.~«\%&¤@#                                          #@¤&%\«~.,
,,«††%£###                                          ###£%††«,,
¨,.~/*$#£#                                          #£#$*/~.,¨
....»:*£@£                                          £@£*:»....