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