.,.¨..¨,¨¨                                          ¨¨,¨..¨.,.
,.,.¨,¨¨,,                                          ,,¨¨,¨.,.,
.,,¨,...,¨                                          ¨,...,¨,,.
...,,.,,..                                          ..,,.,,...
.,,.,..¨.=                                          =.¨..,.,,.
,¨.¨¨¨,.«\                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.              ,,,,¨,¨.,.
.,¨¨.,,¨,,                                          ,,¨,,.¨¨,.
,.¨...¨¨,,                                          ,,¨¨...¨.,
.¨,¨.,,¨,.                                          .,¨,,.¨,¨.
¨¨.¨¨,¨¨-«                                          «-¨¨,¨¨.¨¨
¨,,¨¨,.^==                                          ==^.,¨¨,,¨
,..,,¨:~=†                                          †=~:¨,,..,