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