.¨...,.,¨.                                          .¨,.,...¨.
,¨¨¨¨.,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,.¨¨¨¨,
¨..¨,.,,.^                                          ^.,,.,¨..¨
¨¨..¨¨.¨,~                                          ~,¨.¨¨..¨¨
¨,,,...-~/                                          /~-...,,,¨
.,¨¨¨¨:~*%                 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.              ,..,¨.¨¨,.
¨.¨..¨¨,.¨                                          ¨.,¨¨..¨.¨
¨¨,,,,,,..                                          ..,,,,,,¨¨
,¨,.¨,.,.»                                          ».,.,¨.,¨,
..,,¨¨,-~:                                          :~-,¨¨,,..
,¨..¨¨^=††                                          ††=^¨¨..¨,
¨¨,,.:~^†*                                          *†^~:.,,¨¨