¨,¨.¨,¨,.¨                                          ¨.,¨,¨.¨,¨
.¨.¨.¨..,.                                          .,..¨.¨.¨.
,¨.¨.¨.¨..                                          ..¨.¨.¨.¨,
,.,¨¨.¨.¨.                                          .¨.¨.¨¨,.,
,¨,....¨.,                                          ,.¨....,¨,
¨¨¨.¨,¨¨..                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.              $†»-¨¨.,¨¨
.¨,¨¨.,:«:                                          :«:,.¨¨,¨.
..¨,,¨,,,~                                          ~,,,¨,,¨..
,....¨¨¨,-                                          -,¨¨¨....,
,,,,,¨,¨,,                                          ,,¨,¨,,,,,
¨.¨¨,.¨.¨,                                          ,¨.¨.,¨¨.¨
...¨¨¨....                                          ....¨¨¨...