,..,¨.,¨,.                                          .,¨,.¨,..,
¨¨.¨,¨,.,^                                          ^,.,¨,¨.¨¨
.,¨.,..¨-~                                          ~-¨..,.¨,.
,¨¨...,.«;                                          ;«.,...¨¨,
.¨¨.¨¨,~;^                                          ^;~,¨¨.¨¨.
¨,,,¨.«=%%                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.              @$$†=,,,¨.
.¨,¨¨.-\%%                                          %%\-.¨¨,¨.
,.¨,¨.--=$                                          $=--.¨,¨.,
¨,.¨,,.--=                                          =--.,,¨.,¨
.,¨¨,.,.~-                                          -~.,.,¨¨,.
.¨,.¨.¨..,                                          ,..¨.¨.,¨.
,,¨.,....,                                          ,....,.¨,,