.,¨,¨.,..¨                                          ¨..,.¨,¨,.
.¨,.¨¨.¨.~                                          ~.¨.¨¨.,¨.
,¨¨¨,.,¨,»                                          »,¨,.,¨¨¨,
..¨..¨,~-;                                          ;-~,¨..¨..
¨.¨,¨,,~/^                                          ^/~,,¨,¨.¨
¨,,,,^-;*£                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.              ,.¨,,.,¨¨¨
..,,,,,...                                          ...,,,,,..
¨.¨..¨.¨:~                                          ~:¨.¨..¨.¨
..,,.¨¨^~:                                          :~^¨¨.,,..
¨,.,,.,~^^                                          ^^~,.,,.,¨
,¨,.,~=†§&                                          &§†=~,.,¨,
,.¨.^~^^&@                                          @&^^~^.¨.,