¨,¨¨,¨,¨,-                                          -,¨,¨,¨¨,¨
.,,,,¨.:»^                                          ^»:.¨,,,,.
,.¨¨,.^=*%                                          %*=^.,¨¨.,
¨¨,..,=;§$                                          $§;=,..,¨¨
¨.¨,:»*$£¶                                          ¶£$*»:,¨.¨
.,,,~:*§£@                statuette                 @£§*:~,,,.
,¨-=†$£¶##                                          ##¶£$†=-¨,
.,~**£¶### %@%%$@%¤&¤&$%%%%~»»=««-»§$£¤£@@§&%&$@¤$£ ###¶£**~,.
,,,~;^§#@#                 @%£$$¤£$%                #@#§^;~,,,
,,¨-«†%£@@                                          @@£%†«-¨,,
.,..,~;^&# forests  around my childhood home. thick #&^;~,..,.
,.¨..,~;§% pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and %§;~,..¨.,
.,,..,,«/*       forgotten. wild boars roaming      */«,,..,,.
,,...¨,.~/ underneath,  sniffing at  the ground. it /~.,¨...,,
,,¨,,¨,.,~ is  dark  and moist,  the  canopy having ~,.,¨,,¨,,
¨,,¨.,,¨,: already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. :,¨,,.¨,,¨
¨,,.¨..,¨¨                                          ¨¨,..¨.,,¨
¨,..,,,,,, there's  a river passing  by,  from east ,,,,,,..,¨
,,...,,¨.. to west, getting  broader and deeper and ..¨,,...,,
.,¨¨.¨¨.,, slower  as it  goes. equisetum grow just ,,.¨¨.¨¨,.
¨,¨..¨,,,» where   the  pine  hands  start  to  let »,,,¨..¨,¨
¨.¨,¨.,~«\ through light,  horsemint  on the  rocky \«~,.¨,¨.¨
¨¨,¨¨¨^»;*                river bed.                *;»^¨¨¨,¨¨
..,¨¨^~*%*                                          *%*~^¨¨,..
¨,.,.~†=¤@                     †                    @¤=†~.,.,¨
.,.,~=†¤#@                                          @#¤†=~,.,.
,,,»*=@#@# the  riverbanks reek  of magic.  tonight #@#@=*»,,,
¨^-^†*£### they  had been a swampworld  with sylvan ###£*†^-^¨
¨,^-;%$¶@# 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.              $^~~¨,¨,¨.
,¨,,,.¨~~\                                          \~~¨.,,,¨,
¨¨¨,.,,,.«                                          «.,,,.,¨¨¨
¨¨,¨¨¨¨¨¨.                                          .¨¨¨¨¨¨,¨¨
..,,.¨.¨,.                                          .,¨.¨.,,..
¨,¨¨¨..,..                                          ..,..¨¨¨,¨
¨,¨¨.,,.¨.                                          .¨.,,.¨¨,¨