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