¨,..¨,,¨:=                                          =:¨,,¨..,¨
¨.,...,-~:                                          :~-,...,.¨
¨..¨.,-=\*                                          *\=-,.¨..¨
.¨,,.~»**£                                          £**»~.,,¨.
.,¨,~«^%$@                                          @$%^«~,¨,.
¨,¨:»\=%&@                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.              ¨,,,.¨¨¨¨,
.,¨,.¨,¨.,                                          ,.¨,¨.,¨,.
.,.,.¨..,.                                          .,..¨.,.,.
,.,,¨¨,..,                                          ,..,¨¨,,.,
,.,.¨,¨,¨,                                          ,¨,¨,¨.,.,
¨,¨,.,¨.¨,                                          ,¨.¨,.,¨,¨
¨..¨.¨¨¨.~                                          ~.¨¨¨.¨..¨