,¨¨¨..¨:~/                                          /~:¨..¨¨¨,
¨¨..,¨¨¨^=                                          =^¨¨¨,..¨¨
¨.,,,.¨.¨,                                          ,¨.¨.,,,.¨
.¨,,¨...,¨                                          ¨,...¨,,¨.
,,¨,...¨,,                                          ,,¨...,¨,,
¨¨,,,,,¨,.                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.              ,¨¨,¨.¨,,,
¨¨.¨¨¨,¨,,                                          ,,¨,¨¨¨.¨¨
¨,¨¨,.¨,¨:                                          :¨,¨.,¨¨,¨
..,¨.¨¨¨~-                                          -~¨¨¨.¨,..
.,,¨¨.¨.-;                                          ;-.¨.¨¨,,.
.¨,.,.,~*†                                          †*~,.,.,¨.
,,..,:-†=£                                          £=†-:,..,,