,¨,,.,--\*                                          *\--,.,,¨,
,,,...¨,~\                                          \~,¨...,,,
¨,..,¨..^=                                          =^..¨,..,¨
...,¨,,.¨,                                          ,¨.,,¨,...
.,....,¨,¨                                          ¨,¨,....,.
¨¨,¨.,¨.,,                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.              %†~,,¨¨.¨,
,¨.¨¨..,»/                                          /»,..¨¨.¨,
,¨,.,¨.¨~~                                          ~~¨.¨,.,¨,
...,¨.¨..,                                          ,..¨.¨,...
..¨,,,.¨¨,                                          ,¨¨.,,,¨..
¨¨¨..¨,..^                                          ^..,¨..¨¨¨
¨,,¨,¨,.,~                                          ~,.,¨,¨,,¨