,¨.¨,,,^-=                                          =-^,,,¨.¨,
¨¨.,.,¨,^=                                          =^,¨,.,.¨¨
¨..¨.,,..,                                          ,..,,.¨..¨
,.,.¨...,.                                          .,...¨.,.,
,,,¨¨¨¨..,                                          ,..¨¨¨¨,,,
¨¨.¨.,,...                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 #£¤$*»^,,.
¨,,.,«/†£¤ backyard. from  my pockets i retrieve my ¤£†/«,.,,¨
,¨¨.,,=†*¤ radio  (now  dented) but  also  a  small ¤*†=,,.¨¨,
,.¨.¨,.~;= clay  figure i've never seen before.  it =;~.,¨.¨.,
¨¨.¨¨,,^«* must  have been laying in  the wet dirt, *«^,,¨¨.¨¨
,¨..,,..-» and  i must've  picked  it  up  with  my »-..,,..¨,
..,,¨¨,¨,:             other belongings.            :,¨,¨¨,,..
..,¨..,..,                                          ,..,..¨,..
.¨,¨.,,¨¨¨ it's a statuette of a girl laying  naked ¨¨¨,,.¨,¨.
,...,¨,..¨ on  her  stomach,  feet   in  the   air, ¨..,¨,...,
¨...,,..¨.   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   .¨..,,...¨
,.,¨¨,¨¨,» freshly made, not yet completely  dried. »,¨¨,¨¨,.,
.¨,...,~~/                                          /~~,...,¨.
......,~*† my  mom is here  now. i ask her for some †*~,......
,,,,.-~;%§ particle  board for  it  to dry on,  but §%;~-.,,,,
¨.,¨~»/*@& she   is   worried   and  wants  me   to &@*/»~¨,.¨
,,.,=;=§¤@              throw it away.              @¤§=;=,.,,
.¨,~=%£@@#                                          #@@£%=~,¨.
,~~/*£@###                                          ###@£*/~~,
..,«^%$&##                                          ##&$%^«,..
,.¨:~/†*§#                                          #§*†/~:¨.,
,,¨.~«=†§&                                          &§†=«~.¨,,
.¨¨.¨--/^@                                          @^/--¨.¨¨.