,¨¨,¨,¨.,,                                          ,,.¨,¨,¨¨,
,¨.,,¨¨.:=                                          =:.¨¨,,.¨,
,,,.,,.~=\                                          \=~.,,.,,,
..,,,.~«**                                          **«~.,,,..
,,¨..^~/§%                                          %§/~^..¨,,
...,~«\§$¤                statuette                 ¤$§\«~,...
...^»*%¤£@                                          @£¤%*»^...
,¨:~:%§@@# £@%£%&@$%£%@&$$£»-=~==~~¤%¤£&£$%$£¤¤§§** #@@§%:~:¨,
.^=†=%£###                £**%££$£%                 ###£%=†=^.
.¨^~†$$£##                                          ##£$$†~^¨.
,,,~~=^£§@ 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.              ,¨¨,.,¨.,¨
..,¨,....=                                          =....,¨,..
.,¨.,¨,.«:                                          :«.,¨,.¨,.
.,,¨¨,,«†*                                          *†«,,¨¨,,.
¨.¨.,.~\$¤                                          ¤$\~.,.¨.¨
,¨.,~~;=£§                                          §£=;~~,.¨,
,...~\†@@#                                          #@@†\~...,