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