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