¨.¨¨~~:^£&                                          &£^:~~¨¨.¨
¨¨¨.¨--††§                                          §††--¨.¨¨¨
¨¨.¨,,-»=*                                          *=»-,,¨.¨¨
.,,¨¨.,^~:                                          :~^,.¨¨,,.
.,¨¨¨,¨,^-                                          -^,¨,¨¨¨,.
,.,,¨¨¨.¨:                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.              §¤==~~.¨,,
,¨,¨,,~/§&                                          &§/~,,¨,¨,
.,¨.,.,-††                                          ††-,.,.¨,.
¨,,,.,¨-«†                                          †«-¨,.,,,¨
..,¨¨.¨,:=                                          =:,¨.¨¨,..
¨¨.¨,..¨¨-                                          -¨¨..,¨.¨¨
..,¨,,¨.¨.                                          .¨.¨,,¨,..