,..¨,~»;=%                                          %=;»~,¨..,
.,,¨~~=$&@                                          @&$=~~¨,,.
...:»†$£##                                          ##£$†»:...
.¨,~†^£@##                                          ##@£^†~,¨.
¨-«\=%####                                          ####%=\«-¨
¨¨:-**£#@#                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. @$*=«^¨,¨.
¨.,~~/^*#@                                          @#*^/~~,.¨
...»^=%@@# my mom is here  now. i ask  her for some #@@%=^»...
,,«^=&#### particle  board for  it  to  dry on, but ####&=^«,,
¨¨-»\†§@## she  is   worried  and   wants   me   to ##@§†\»-¨¨
¨,,~=\§¤#@              throw it away.              @#¤§\=~,,¨
,¨,,,=*=&#                                          #&=*=,,,¨,
.¨.¨¨^»†*$                                          $*†»^¨¨.¨.
.¨¨¨¨,.-†*                                          *†-.,¨¨¨¨.
¨¨¨,¨¨¨,~^                                          ^~,¨¨¨,¨¨¨
¨¨,¨,,,,~~                                          ~~,,,,¨,¨¨
¨¨,...,...                                          ...,...,¨¨