¨¨,,¨^»==@                                          @==»^¨,,¨¨
,¨.¨,~/=§¤                                          ¤§=/~,¨.¨,
,,,^=*$@&#                                          #&@$*=^,,,
.¨~-^*%¤¶#                                          #¶¤%*^-~¨.
¨~~^%§¤£@#                                          #@£¤§%^~~¨
..~~:$¤@@#                statuette                 #@@¤$:~~..
,¨¨.-:*$&£                                          £&$*:-.¨¨,
,.,.,~†=£& $&&%*¤£@§£§&££¤$=»~»»~-«*$¤*$$$%£%¤£§%£$ &£=†~,.,.,
¨¨¨,¨-~^*$                 @§¤*&£§%£                $*^~-¨,¨¨¨
.¨,.¨,-~\=                                          =\~-,¨.,¨.
¨,¨.¨¨,~~* forests around my childhood  home. thick *~~,¨¨.¨,¨
.¨¨.,,,¨,= pine  arcades  that  were  planted   and =,¨,,,.¨¨.
¨.¨..,,..,      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ,..,,..¨.¨
,,,,,,,..¨ underneath, sniffing at the  ground.  it ¨..,,,,,,,
.¨¨¨,,,¨¨. is dark  and moist,  the  canopy  having .¨¨,,,¨¨¨.
¨¨..,¨.¨:~ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ~:¨.¨,..¨¨
,¨.¨¨,,.~=                                          =~.,,¨¨.¨,
¨¨¨,¨,:~/§ there's  a  river passing by, from  east §/~:,¨,¨¨¨
,.,,¨~«^=$ 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.              $^†«..,.,.
.,¨..=\†*£                                          £*†\=..¨,.
,,.:~^†$£¶                                          ¶£$†^~:.,,
..~=*§££¶@                                          @¶££§*=~..
..~:=§§£@#                                          #@£§§=:~..
.,~~*§¤&##                                          ##&¤§*~~,.
¨.,^-^†*&#                                          #&*†^-^,.¨