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