¨¨.,¨,«:%$                                          $%:«,¨,.¨¨
¨,¨,:~;%§£                                          £§%;~:,¨,¨
,..~~=*§£#                                          #£§*=~~..,
,.:=\%$###                                          ###$%\=:.,
,^«^%£¤###                                          ###¤£%^«^,
¨,:~^*£###                statuette                 ###£*^~:,¨
,¨.:-;*&@#                                          #@&*;-:.¨,
¨,,¨:~*%£§ £§£%$@£*¤*&¤&§£%~-»«=»««¤$%$*%$¤££@@%%%* §£%*~:¨,,¨
..¨,,.»†=£                 £@%$@$¤*&                £=†».,,¨..
¨¨,.¨¨,»:†                                          †:»,¨¨.,¨¨
¨¨.¨.,,-«: forests  around my childhood home. thick :«-,,.¨.¨¨
¨¨,¨,..,:« pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and «:,..,¨,¨¨
..,.,.,,,-      forgotten. wild boars roaming       -,,,.,.,..
,¨,.,¨¨,¨. underneath,  sniffing  at the ground. it .¨,¨¨,.,¨,
...,,..,,¨ is  dark  and moist,  the canopy  having ¨,,..,,...
,,..¨,.... already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ....,¨..,,
¨,.,,,.,¨.                                          .¨,.,,,.,¨
¨,,,¨,.,¨. there's  a river  passing by, from  east .¨,.,¨,,,¨
,¨¨,,.,¨,. to west, getting broader and deeper  and .,¨,.,,¨¨,
.¨....,,¨, slower as  it goes.  equisetum grow just ,¨,,....¨.
,..¨,.¨¨,^ where  the  pine  hands  start   to  let ^,¨¨.,¨..,
,.¨.¨..¨-« through  light,  horsemint on the  rocky «-¨..¨.¨.,
.¨.¨,,.,~†                river bed.                †~,.,,¨.¨.
..,.,,^~=†                                          †=~^,,.,..
,,,,,~=;=$                    /                     $=;=~,,,,,
¨,,,,«=$£#                                          #£$=«,,,,¨
,,.^-\†&&# the  riverbanks reek  of magic.  tonight #&&†\-^.,,
.,-»=*§@@# they  had  been a swampworld with sylvan #@@§*=»-,.
¨--:†&&### water,  stone  rings  and floating moss. ###&&†:--¨
..-~^=£### you could've  found me wallowing  around ###£=^~-..
,,.,===$£# 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 @$;-^,¨.¨¨
¨.¨¨¨¨.-=% backyard. from  my pockets i retrieve my %=-.¨¨¨¨.¨
¨,,.,¨¨^~\ radio  (now  dented)  but  also  a small \~^¨¨,.,,¨
¨¨....,,^- clay figure  i've never seen before.  it -^,,....¨¨
.,,¨¨,,,,. must  have been laying in the  wet dirt, .,,,,¨¨,,.
.,¨,¨.¨¨,¨ and  i  must've  picked it  up  with  my ¨,¨¨.¨,¨,.
..,,¨.¨...            other belongings.             ...¨.¨,,..
¨¨¨.¨,¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨,¨.¨¨¨
¨,.,¨¨¨,.. it's a statuette of a girl  laying naked ..,¨¨¨,.,¨
.,¨.,¨,... on  her   stomach,  feet  in  the   air, ...,¨,.¨,.
¨¨,,,¨¨..,   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ,..¨¨,,,¨¨
,,,,.¨.,.. freshly  made, not yet completely dried. ..,.¨.,,,,
,.¨,¨¨¨¨,:                                          :,¨¨¨¨,¨.,
..¨,¨¨,,^- my mom is here  now.  i ask her for some -^,,¨¨,¨..
¨..,.,¨^~^ particle  board  for  it to  dry on, but ^~^¨,.,..¨
,¨,¨¨¨-«\* she   is   worried  and   wants  me   to *\«-¨¨¨,¨,
,,,,,-~;=@              throw it away.              @=;~-,,,,,
¨..,.-\%@§                                          §@%\-.,..¨
,..^»^=$£@                                          @£$=^»^..,
,.^-†^$£@#                                          #@£$^†-^.,
,,»*%$£###                                          ###£$%*»,,
,,,-^$*&##                                          ##&*$^-,,,
,,¨,~=*§@#                                          #@§*=~,¨,,