¨¨¨.,,,..~                                          ~..,,,.¨¨¨
.¨,...¨,¨,                                          ,¨,¨...,¨.
,..,.,,,,¨                                          ¨,,,,.,..,
,.,..¨,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,¨..,.,
.,¨,.¨,.¨¨                                          ¨¨.,¨.,¨,.
,,.,,.,,,:                 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 $^:~:,,.,.
..,,,~^=&& particle board  for  it  to dry on,  but &&=^~,,,..
¨,,-«\^%&£ she  is   worried   and   wants  me   to £&%^\«-,,¨
¨.^»*=%&£#              throw it away.              #£&%=*»^.¨
,~»:=£####                                          ####£=:»~,
,.~~=†$£@#                                          #@£$†=~~.,
,.,.~^†§§¶                                          ¶§§†^~.,.,
¨,,,-=†^%@                                          @%^†=-,,,¨
..¨..-«=§¤                                          ¤§=«-..¨..
.¨.,..^»/*                                          */»^..,.¨.