,....,~=%£                                          £%=~,....,
,¨,¨¨.,«^¤                                          ¤^«,.¨¨,¨,
¨.¨.¨¨..-;                                          ;-..¨¨.¨.¨
,¨,.¨¨¨,^»                                          »^,¨¨¨.,¨,
,,.,¨¨.¨.~                                          ~.¨.¨¨,.,,
.,,.¨¨¨¨,¨                 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 £$*».,¨¨,.
¨.¨.^=^£&¶ hands, who are  busy  putting  things in ¶&£^=^.¨.¨
¨¨,-»†%£@#               my pockets.                #@£%†»-,¨¨
¨,,«\£&@@#                                          #@@&£\«,,¨
.--/¤&#@## then  i   run  east   toward   my  home. ##@#&¤/--.
,¨,~*%£###                                          ###£%*~,¨,
,.,:~\§@£#                     /                    #£@§\~:,.,
¨,.¨,-*%£#                                          #£%*-,¨.,¨
,,..¨^«=¤¤ i am not  followed, and slow down in the ¤¤=«^¨..,,
,,,,¨¨^-\% clearing  where  you  at first can  spot %\-^¨¨,,,,
,..¨....«/ the   house,  not  yet  really   in  the /«....¨..,
,,.,¨,..:= backyard. from my pockets i  retrieve my =:..,¨,.,,
¨¨,.¨,¨..~ radio (now  dented)  but  also  a  small ~..¨,¨.,¨¨
.,,¨,.,¨,, clay figure i've  never seen before.  it ,,¨,.,¨,,.
,¨¨,.¨,,,. must have been  laying in the wet  dirt, .,,,¨.,¨¨,
¨,.¨,¨,¨~» and  i  must've  picked  it  up  with my »~¨,¨,¨.,¨
¨.,,,¨¨,-*            other belongings.             *-,¨¨,,,.¨
,¨¨,.,.«/¤                                          ¤/«.,.,¨¨,
..¨¨.^~\*£ it's a statuette of  a girl laying naked £*\~^.¨¨..
,¨¨,^»:@&# on  her  stomach,   feet  in  the   air, #&@:»^,¨¨,
¨¨.~-:@@##   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ##@@:-~.¨¨
¨¨~~\&£### freshly made,  not yet completely dried. ###£&\~~¨¨
,-»\%#¶###                                          ###¶#%\»-,
.,,==%#£## my mom is  here  now. i ask her for some ##£#%==,,.
,¨.~~=@§¶# particle board  for  it  to dry on,  but #¶§@=~~.¨,
,.¨.:»/¤&£ she   is   worried  and   wants  me   to £&¤/»:.¨.,
...,.~=;¤¤              throw it away.              ¤¤;=~.,...
.,¨..,-=/$                                          $/=-,..¨,.
.,..,¨.-~/                                          /~-.¨,..,.
¨,¨....¨.«                                          «.¨....¨,¨
,¨¨,,.¨,.,                                          ,.,¨.,,¨¨,
.,¨,¨.,¨,¨                                          ¨,¨,.¨,¨,.
¨,¨¨¨.¨..^                                          ^..¨.¨¨¨,¨