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