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