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