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