.,...¨:»/†                                          †/»:¨...,.
,¨.,¨~-^%£                                          £%^-~¨,.¨,
.¨¨¨^«:%¤£                                          £¤%:«^¨¨¨.
,¨,,«**$@#                                          #@$**«,,¨,
.,~~††££##                                          ##££††~~,.
.-~:$£####                statuette                 ####£$:~-.
.¨~=†$%@##                                          ##@%$†=~¨.
,¨,^«*%$@@ $§£§%¤$¤%*§£$@¤&=--~=~~»$$£@¤*@$¤%§$&*$% @@$%*«^,¨,
.¨¨¨,-:%%#                 $§¤§@*¤$£                #%%:-,¨¨¨.
,¨.,,.~\*£                                          £*\~.,,.¨,
¨..¨...~;% forests around my childhood home.  thick %;~...¨..¨
¨¨.,.,.~»: pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and :»~.,.,.¨¨
...,,...:-      forgotten. wild boars roaming       -:...,,...
.¨...,,.¨, underneath, sniffing at the  ground.  it ,¨.,,...¨.
¨,¨,¨.¨,,, is dark  and  moist, the  canopy  having ,,,¨.¨,¨,¨
¨,¨.,,,¨¨, already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ,¨¨,,,.¨,¨
,¨¨.¨¨.¨,,                                          ,,¨.¨¨.¨¨,
,,¨..¨,¨¨, there's a river  passing  by,  from east ,¨¨,¨..¨,,
¨.¨,¨..,,, to west, getting broader and deeper  and ,,,..¨,¨.¨
,¨..,¨,,., slower as  it  goes. equisetum grow just ,.,,¨,..¨,
,,,¨..,,.¨ where  the  pine  hands  start   to  let ¨.,,..¨,,,
¨.,,¨,¨.¨- through  light, horsemint  on  the rocky -¨.¨,¨,,.¨
.¨¨.,¨¨.~-                river bed.                -~.¨¨,.¨¨.
..¨.,¨¨,~;                                          ;~,¨¨,.¨..
,.¨,.,:»:%                    :                     %:»:,.,¨.,
.¨..,,~;†£                                          £†;~,,..¨.
¨,,¨~-†%%# the riverbanks  reek  of magic.  tonight #%%†-~¨,,¨
,¨¨,-=^$@# they  had been  a swampworld with sylvan #@$^=-,¨¨,
,,.»=%$### water, stone  rings and  floating  moss. ###$%=».,,
¨^-/$£#@## you could've  found  me wallowing around ##@#£$/-^¨
¨,^=†%¤### on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got ###¤%†=^,¨
,,¨~«†$$@#                  bitten.                 #@$$†«~¨,,
¨.¨¨:«:*@@                                          @@*:«:¨¨.¨
...,.,=;%@ but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid @%;=,.,...
,,¨.¨.-~:† ground, in shoulder-high grass, with  an †:~-.¨.¨,,
.,¨.,..^~* orange  tin  radio  and   a  translucent *~^..,.¨,.
..,,.,.¨,-      umbrella which i'm sitting on.      -,¨.,.,,..
.,¨,¨,¨,.~                                          ~.,¨,¨,¨,.
,.¨,¨¨,.¨¨                     *                    ¨¨.,¨¨,¨.,
,,¨.,.¨¨.¨                                          ¨.¨¨.,.¨,,
¨.,,,,,..¨ somethings  moving in  the  grass.  it's ¨..,,,,,.¨
,..,.,,,,. invisible to  my  eyes  but  i can  feel .,,,,.,..,
,¨.¨¨...,. through the ground just how large it is. .,...¨¨.¨,
¨,.,,,,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,,,,.,¨
¨,¨,¨..,¨. the  soil is muddy. i  slip  when trying .¨,..¨,¨,¨
,,,¨...¨¨, to   get  up,  still   looking  at   the ,¨¨...¨,,,
,..,.¨¨.~« direction  of  sound  rather  than at my «~.¨¨.,..,
¨,..,.¨:«† hands, who are busy  putting  things  in †«:¨.,..,¨
¨¨..,,^-;%                my pockets.               %;-^,,..¨¨
..¨.¨^-*%%                                          %%*-^¨.¨..
¨¨,¨,~:*$# then  i  run   east   toward   my  home. #$*:~,¨,¨¨
¨.,~»=$$##                                          ##$$=»~,.¨
.,~~;*$£##                     †                    ##£$*;~~,.
¨,»;†¤#@##                                          ##@#¤†;»,¨
,¨,~\†§¶## i  am not followed, and slow down in the ##¶§†\~,¨,
¨.¨,~=$&@@ clearing  where you  at  first can  spot @@&$=~,¨.¨
¨,..:»^$*# the  house,  not  yet   really   in  the #*$^»:..,¨
¨¨.,,^~\§§ backyard. from my pockets  i retrieve my §§\~^,,.¨¨
¨..,.¨.~=^ radio  (now  dented) but  also  a  small ^=~.¨.,..¨
,,.,..,^-: clay  figure i've never seen before.  it :-^,..,.,,
,,....,,^« must  have been laying in  the wet dirt, «^,,....,,
.,.,.¨,,,~ and  i  must've picked  it  up  with  my ~,,,¨.,.,.
..¨.,,,,.¨             other belongings.            ¨.,,,,.¨..
¨¨,¨.¨,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,¨.¨,¨¨
.,..¨..,¨, it's a statuette of a  girl laying naked ,¨,..¨..,.
,,,¨,.,.., on  her  stomach,   feet  in  the   air, ,..,.,¨,,,
¨,¨,,..¨,.   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   .,¨..,,¨,¨
,,.¨.¨,¨., freshly made, not  yet completely dried. ,.¨,¨.¨.,,
,..¨,,,.,,                                          ,,.,,,¨..,
¨¨,,.¨,,., my mom  is here now. i ask her  for some ,.,,¨.,,¨¨
.,.¨¨.¨,^~ particle  board for  it  to dry on,  but ~^,¨.¨¨.,.
¨...¨¨,,»* she  is   worried   and   wants   me  to *»,,¨¨...¨
,..¨,¨^«*$              throw it away.              $*«^¨,¨..,
.,¨,¨^=\=£                                          £=\=^¨,¨,.
¨...,=*$$#                                          #$$*=,...¨
¨,..~=*£#@                                          @#£*=~..,¨
.,,«;%%£##                                          ##£%%;«,,.
,-~\%£¶###                                          ###¶£%\~-,
,..~\*£#@#                                          #@#£*\~..,