,¨..¨¨,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,¨¨..¨,
,¨...,.,.»                                          ».,.,...¨,
¨¨,,.,¨,«;                                          ;«,¨,.,,¨¨
¨¨,.¨¨:-/%                                          %/-:¨¨.,¨¨
,.,.¨:~:$§                                          §$:~:¨.,.,
¨,..-«/%¤§                 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.              :,¨¨¨¨.,..
.¨,..,,¨,~                                          ~,¨,,..,¨.
..¨¨..,^~\                                          \~^,..¨¨..
,¨¨¨..:~^^                                          ^^~:..¨¨¨,
¨,.¨,^~†§%                                          %§†~^,¨.,¨
..,,:-^^&&                                          &&^^-:,,..
¨..~«*^§¤¶                                          ¶¤§^*«~..¨