¨.,¨...¨,,                                          ,,¨...¨,.¨
,,.,,¨...,                                          ,...¨,,.,,
¨¨¨.¨.¨,¨.                                          .¨,¨.¨.¨¨¨
,,,.,.¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨.,.,,,
..,,¨.¨,,.                                          .,,¨.¨,,..
¨,.¨¨.¨,.,                 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 &*$;«,.¨.¨
¨.¨.,^-^*¤            other belongings.             ¤*^-^,.¨.¨
¨...¨¨-=\*                                          *\=-¨¨...¨
,.,,,,.,«^ it's a statuette  of a girl laying naked ^«,.,,,,.,
...,,¨..^» on   her  stomach,  feet  in  the   air, »^..¨,,...
..¨.¨¨¨,.-   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   -.,¨¨¨.¨..
.,,.,¨.¨¨, freshly made, not yet completely  dried. ,¨¨.¨,.,,.
,.¨..,,,,¨                                          ¨,,,,..¨.,
,,,,..¨,.¨ my mom  is here now. i  ask her for some ¨.,¨..,,,,
.,.¨,,¨,,¨ particle board  for it  to  dry on,  but ¨,,¨,,¨.,.
,,,.¨..,¨¨ she   is  worried   and   wants  me   to ¨¨,..¨.,,,
,¨..,...¨.              throw it away.              .¨...,..¨,
,.,¨,..¨,~                                          ~,¨..,¨,.,
¨,¨,.,¨,~†                                          †~,¨,.,¨,¨
¨¨¨¨,.,~*%                                          %*~,.,¨¨¨¨
.¨¨.,:~*%&                                          &%*~:,.¨¨.
,,.,--**$&                                          &$**--,.,,
¨,,~=/%%§#                                          #§%%/=~,,¨