,,.:«\^&§¶                                          ¶§&^\«:.,,
,¨.-/*@@##                                          ##@@*/-.¨,
,^«=*%§###                                          ###§%*=«^,
..,»/§£#@#                                          #@#£§/»,..
¨¨,:~/$*£#                                          #£*$/~:,¨¨
¨,¨,~«;=%§                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.              *=,¨¨..,¨,
.¨¨,,¨,.^»                                          »^.,¨,,¨¨.
¨¨.¨.¨.,¨~                                          ~¨,.¨.¨.¨¨
¨,,,¨¨.,~-                                          -~,.¨¨,,,¨
.¨¨,¨,¨^«\                                          \«^¨,¨,¨¨.
¨¨..,..=\$                                          $\=..,..¨¨
...,,:»*§*                                          *§*»:,,...