.,,..¨,,,,                                          ,,,,¨..,,.
¨.,,.¨¨.¨,                                          ,¨.¨¨.,,.¨
¨,.¨.,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,.¨.,¨
¨¨,¨¨.¨¨,,                                          ,,¨¨.¨¨,¨¨
,¨¨,¨¨..,,                                          ,,..¨¨,¨¨,
¨..,,.¨¨-=                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 #@£&*=~,,.
,,«^^$@@##              throw it away.              ##@@$^^«,,
,.^«/§£¶##                                          ##¶£§/«^.,
,¨.^-/%¤##                                          ##¤%/-^.¨,
.¨¨.~~:^$£                                          £$^:~~.¨¨.
¨¨¨¨¨:~*=&                                          &=*~:¨¨¨¨¨
..¨¨,..~\$                                          $\~..,¨¨..
,¨¨¨.¨..-;                                          ;-..¨.¨¨¨,