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