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