¨.¨~«*%%¤#                                          #¤%%*«~¨.¨
,,,=**¤¤¶#                                          #¶¤¤**=,,,
.^~;=*¤#@#                                          #@#¤*=;~^.
..~~:*$§@#                                          #@§$*:~~..
,¨¨,=:**¤£                                          £¤**:=,¨¨,
,,¨,,~\=§§                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 ¶§£=;-^¨..
,.~»=$&&## she   is   worried   and  wants   me  to ##&&$=»~.,
,:~==$¤¶##              throw it away.              ##¶¤$==~:,
¨¨,~;**¤£#                                          #£¤**;~,¨¨
¨,.~~=$§@#                                          #@§$=~~.,¨
.,,,,»^†%&                                          &%†^»,,,,.
,,..,:==§£                                          £§==:,..,,
....¨¨:=†$                                          $†=:¨¨....
,.¨¨.^=;$%                                          %$;=^.¨¨.,