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