,¨..,¨^»^§                                          §^»^¨,..¨,
.¨,.¨..~-/                                          /-~..¨.,¨.
¨,.¨...¨~~                                          ~~¨...¨.,¨
¨,,¨.¨,,.:                                          :.,,¨.¨,,¨
¨¨,.,¨,,.,                                          ,.,,¨,.,¨¨
¨,.¨¨.¨.,¨                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 $=\~^¨.¨.¨
.,,.,,-=;^ must have  been laying  in the wet dirt, ^;=-,,.,,.
.,,,..¨-»= and  i  must've  picked it  up  with  my =»-¨..,,,.
¨,¨¨,¨..~~             other belongings.            ~~..¨,¨¨,¨
,..,¨.¨¨,,                                          ,,¨¨.¨,..,
,¨¨¨¨,¨.¨. it's a statuette of a girl  laying naked .¨.¨,¨¨¨¨,
,,¨,¨¨¨.,. on  her   stomach,  feet  in   the  air, .,.¨¨¨,¨,,
¨¨,¨¨.¨...   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ...¨.¨¨,¨¨
¨,¨,¨,¨¨,~ freshly made, not yet  completely dried. ~,¨¨,¨,¨,¨
,¨.¨....,«                                          «,....¨.¨,
,..,,.¨-=/ my  mom is here now.  i ask her for some /=-¨.,,..,
.,¨¨¨¨,-^* particle board  for  it  to  dry on, but *^-,¨¨¨¨,.
,...,~»†*£ she   is   worried  and   wants   me  to £*†»~,...,
,.¨,,=†^@&              throw it away.              &@^†=,,¨.,
,,¨~-*^£@#                                          #@£^*-~¨,,
¨,.~=%*¤@#                                          #@¤*%=~.,¨
¨:~;$£&###                                          ###&£$;~:¨
.¨,=;^*£@#                                          #@£*^;=,¨.
,...«/=%#@                                          @#%=/«...,
.,¨.:==%%£                                          £%%==:.¨,.