,¨,¨,.¨,.¨                                          ¨.,¨.,¨,¨,
,,¨,,¨.¨¨,                                          ,¨¨.¨,,¨,,
...¨¨¨.¨,,                                          ,,¨.¨¨¨...
.¨¨¨¨¨...«                                          «...¨¨¨¨¨.
.,,¨¨¨¨^»*                                          *»^¨¨¨¨,,.
,¨,,¨,--^$                 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.              ,¨,¨¨.,,,.
.,.¨,,,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,,,¨.,.
,¨,.,..,.~                                          ~.,..,.,¨,
.,..,,.¨,=                                          =,¨.,,..,.
¨.¨.¨,.~»^                                          ^»~.,¨.¨.¨
,,,¨,.~~††                                          ††~~.,¨,,,
,¨,¨,^~;**                                          **;~^,¨,¨,