...,.,,~\$                                          $\~,,.,...
¨,¨,,.»†*%                                          %*†».,,¨,¨
.,¨¨.»/^§§                                          §§^/».¨¨,.
.¨¨,~^**§¶                                          ¶§**^~,¨¨.
..:~\%§@£#                                          #£@§%\~:..
,.»;§*§@##                 statuette                ##@§*§;».,
¨,~«:§%@£#                                          #£@%§:«~,¨
.¨,,=\†$@£ &*$§§***@$%*&§£¤»«~~«-~~%§£@$%$$&%¤¤£@*$ £@$†\=,,¨.
¨,,,~«=%£§                &§$¤$%$&£                 §£%=«~,,,¨
¨¨¨.,.-\%¤                                          ¤%\-.,.¨¨¨
,¨,.,,--†^ 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 $†~-¨¨.,,¨
¨,¨¨,,¨:«† clay  figure i've never seen before.  it †«:¨,,¨¨,¨
¨.¨.¨.¨.~- must have been laying in  the  wet dirt, -~.¨.¨.¨.¨
,¨.¨.,,,.: and  i  must've picked  it  up  with  my :.,,,.¨.¨,
.¨¨,.,.¨¨.             other belongings.            .¨¨.,.,¨¨.
,.¨..,¨,,¨                                          ¨,,¨,..¨.,
¨,,¨.,.,.¨ it's  a statuette of a girl laying naked ¨.,.,.¨,,¨
.¨¨,,,¨¨¨¨ on  her  stomach,   feet  in  the   air, ¨¨¨¨,,,¨¨.
,..,.,,...   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ...,,.,..,
,¨¨¨¨..,¨, freshly made, not yet completely  dried. ,¨,..¨¨¨¨,
,,¨..¨,¨,,                                          ,,¨,¨..¨,,
¨¨,¨,¨,¨.. my mom is here now. i  ask  her for some ..¨,¨,¨,¨¨
¨¨¨,¨.,.-» particle board  for it  to  dry on,  but »-.,.¨,¨¨¨
,.¨.¨.¨~~; she   is  worried   and   wants  me   to ;~~¨.¨.¨.,
¨,,¨,.~«:*              throw it away.              *:«~.,¨,,¨
¨,...-»;^£                                          £^;»-...,¨
.,.¨--^*$&                                          &$*^--¨.,.
..¨-~††&§#                                          #§&††~-¨..
,.~»;**§##                                          ##§**;»~.,
,,«/*@£@##                                          ##@£@*/«,,
¨,-»††@¤@#                                          #@¤@††»-,¨