..¨,,¨..,~                                          ~,..¨,,¨..
,¨..,,¨,,.                                          .,,¨,,..¨,
..,.¨¨,.,,                                          ,,.,¨¨.,..
¨¨¨..¨,..-                                          -..,¨..¨¨¨
¨..¨¨...»;                                          ;»...¨¨..¨
¨.,¨..,»=$                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.              .,.¨.,¨¨,,
.¨¨,,¨,.¨¨                                          ¨¨.,¨,,¨¨.
.¨,,¨¨¨.,~                                          ~,.¨¨¨,,¨.
¨.,¨.¨.,,«                                          «,,.¨.¨,.¨
¨,.¨..¨,-=                                          =-,¨..¨.,¨
¨,¨...-=†*                                          *†=-...¨,¨
,,,¨¨,~*§$                                          $§*~,¨¨,,,