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