.¨,¨,.,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,.,¨,¨.
..¨¨,.,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,.,¨¨..
¨¨¨..,¨,¨.                                          .¨,¨,..¨¨¨
¨,¨.,.¨¨.¨                                          ¨.¨¨.,.¨,¨
,.¨,.,..,¨                                          ¨,..,.,¨.,
..,,¨¨..,¨                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.              *†=~..¨.,.
¨,,,,..:=*                                          *=:..,,,,¨
.¨,¨,¨,.^»                                          »^.,¨,¨,¨.
.,¨...¨¨,~                                          ~,¨¨...¨,.
,¨.¨.,,¨,.                                          .,¨,,.¨.¨,
,¨,¨.,,¨,¨                                          ¨,¨,,.¨,¨,
¨¨....¨,.¨                                          ¨.,¨....¨¨