,¨..¨.,«=%                                          %=«,.¨..¨,
¨,,.,¨¨:~=                                          =~:¨¨,.,,¨
¨..¨¨.¨,-«                                          «-,¨.¨¨..¨
.¨..¨.¨¨.-                                          -.¨¨.¨..¨.
¨¨,.¨¨..¨¨                                          ¨¨..¨¨.,¨¨
,.,¨¨¨,,.,                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.              †:=^..,¨,¨
¨,,¨,¨.-~†                                          †~-.¨,¨,,¨
.....,¨.~-                                          -~.¨,.....
,.¨,¨...,:                                          :,...¨,¨.,
,,.¨,¨,,,,                                          ,,,,¨,¨.,,
¨.,,,.¨,,~                                          ~,,¨.,,,.¨
¨,,¨¨¨..-~                                          ~-..¨¨¨,,¨