,,.,¨,¨¨,~                                          ~,¨¨,¨,.,,
.¨...,¨.:-                                          -:.¨,...¨.
¨.,¨.¨,-~;                                          ;~-,¨.¨,.¨
.,.¨.¨~~:§                                          §:~~¨.¨.,.
¨.¨.¨,~^$$                                          $$^~,¨.¨.¨
.,¨¨.~;%%£                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.              .,,..,,.,¨
.¨¨.¨.¨,:-                                          -:,¨.¨.¨¨.
.¨,,,¨¨^~\                                          \~^¨¨,,,¨.
,¨.¨,.,=^*                                          *^=,.,¨.¨,
¨..¨,:-^†§                                          §†^-:,¨..¨
,¨¨.,~:*£&                                          &£*:~,.¨¨,
,¨.:~^†&##                                          ##&†^~:.¨,