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