.¨,¨,,,«=%                                          %=«,,,¨,¨.
¨¨...~«==¤                                          ¤==«~...¨¨
¨,,.^~†*@@                                          @@*†~^.,,¨
,¨.^-;=$@@                                          @@$=;-^.¨,
.¨^»;*¤###                                          ###¤*;»^¨.
,,~†%£####                 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.              ¨¨¨¨,.,...
,,,¨..,¨..                                          ..¨,..¨,,,
.¨¨,.,.,..                                          ..,.,.,¨¨.
¨,.¨,¨..,^                                          ^,..¨,¨.,¨
,..,.¨.¨:=                                          =:¨.¨.,..,
,..,,,.^«^                                          ^«^.,,,..,
,¨,..,^»/^                                          ^/»^,..,¨,