¨.,,¨...,~                                          ~,...¨,,.¨
.¨,¨¨¨¨^»:                                          :»^¨¨¨¨,¨.
.¨,,.¨~~\=                                          =\~~¨.,,¨.
,...¨.=:*§                                          §*:=.¨...,
.,.¨:~*%*£                                          £*%*~:¨.,.
..,:=^^££@                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.              =;~,.,,¨¨.
,¨,,,.,^«†                                          †«^,.,,,¨,
.¨....¨,^~                                          ~^,¨....¨.
¨¨¨¨¨.,...                                          ...,.¨¨¨¨¨
..¨,¨¨¨.¨.                                          .¨.¨¨¨,¨..
.¨¨..,..¨,                                          ,¨..,..¨¨.
.,,¨¨,¨.,,                                          ,,.¨,¨¨,,.