,.¨.¨,^=:^                                          ^:=^,¨.¨.,
.,,¨¨,«:%&                                          &%:«,¨¨,,.
.,..-=/$£§                                          §£$/=-..,.
,¨..«\*$£@                                          @£$*\«..¨,
..,«:†£¤@#                                          #@¤£†:«,..
¨~~*=*#@##                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 £§%$*~..¨.
,.,¨.~=†@¤ the  house,   not  yet  really  in   the ¤@†=~.¨,.,
.¨¨,,.-:§% backyard. from my pockets  i retrieve my %§:-.,,¨¨.
¨,,¨.¨,»^% radio  (now  dented)  but also  a  small %^»,¨.¨,,¨
..,¨.¨,:-= clay figure  i've never  seen before. it =-:,¨.¨,..
..¨,.,¨,,- must have been laying  in the wet  dirt, -,,¨,.,¨..
,,¨¨,...., and  i  must've  picked it  up  with  my ,....,¨¨,,
,¨,¨,,,,..             other belongings.            ..,,,,¨,¨,
...¨,...¨,                                          ,¨...,¨...
,¨.,¨.,¨¨, it's a  statuette of a girl laying naked ,¨¨,.¨,.¨,
,.,..,.¨¨, on   her  stomach,  feet  in  the   air, ,¨¨.,..,.,
,¨,.,¨,..¨   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ¨..,¨,.,¨,
¨¨.¨,¨¨,,. freshly made,  not yet completely dried. .,,¨¨,¨.¨¨
,.¨,¨¨.¨.¨                                          ¨.¨.¨¨,¨.,
,,,..¨,.,- my mom  is here now. i ask her  for some -,.,¨..,,,
,,¨¨¨.¨,,« particle board  for  it  to dry on,  but «,,¨.¨¨¨,,
,,¨¨...:«\ she   is  worried   and  wants   me   to \«:...¨¨,,
..,¨¨.,~^†              throw it away.              †^~,.¨¨,..
,.,,,:-/*$                                          $*/-:,,,.,
,,..~»/$££                                          ££$/»~..,,
¨,.-=;*@§£                                          £§@*;=-.,¨
.¨~-:*£@¶@                                          @¶@£*:-~¨.
¨,~;**¤¶##                                          ##¶¤**;~,¨
.¨,«/†£§##                                          ##§£†/«,¨.