¨,¨,¨^~:^£                                          £^:~^¨,¨,¨
,¨,.^~^^$£                                          £$^^~^.,¨,
...,=*=£@#                                          #@£=*=,...
,¨~~/%¤£¶#                                          #¶£¤%/~~¨,
,,-;%%§¶@#                                          #@¶§%%;-,,
..,»^$@§##                 statuette                ##§@$^»,..
¨.¨.~*%*#¶                                          ¶#*%*~.¨.¨
,.¨,.»/%&§ &¤¤¤£%@@*¤¤£@%$@--»~~»~-$@**$¤*£$$££££¤$ §&%/».,¨.,
,,,¨,,-\†$                ¤$&§£%£$$                 $†\-,,¨,,,
¨.¨¨.,-~\%                                          %\~-,.¨¨.¨
,..,¨.,,~= forests around my childhood  home. thick =~,,.¨,..,
¨,..,,..^» pine  arcades  that  were   planted  and »^..,,..,¨
¨..¨¨,,¨.~      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ~.¨,,¨¨..¨
¨¨,,,,¨¨.. underneath, sniffing  at  the ground. it ..¨¨,,,,¨¨
.,..,¨,¨., is dark  and  moist, the  canopy  having ,.¨,¨,..,.
¨¨.¨,.¨.,, already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ,,.¨.,¨.¨¨
.¨.¨,¨¨.¨,                                          ,¨.¨¨,¨.¨.
...,¨¨..,. there's a river  passing  by,  from east .,..¨¨,...
,..,¨,.¨.. to west, getting broader and  deeper and ..¨.,¨,..,
.....¨¨.,. slower  as it  goes. equisetum grow just .,.¨¨.....
.¨¨,,,¨,.- where  the  pine  hands  start  to   let -.,¨,,,¨¨.
¨,.¨,¨¨¨.« through light,  horsemint  on  the rocky «.¨¨¨,¨.,¨
¨¨.¨,,¨--†                river bed.                †--¨,,¨.¨¨
¨¨...¨.~=$                                          $=~.¨...¨¨
.¨,¨¨.«\§@                    \                     @§\«.¨¨,¨.
¨.¨,.«\†§&                                          &§†\«.,¨.¨
.¨..~;%%¤# the riverbanks reek  of  magic.  tonight #¤%%;~..¨.
.,:=*=$§@@ 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.              £%†«-.,,.¨
.¨,¨~»/=§£                                          £§=/»~¨,¨.
¨,¨:«*=@&£                                          £&@=*«:¨,¨
,.-»**%¤£#                                          #£¤%**»-.,
.^»†%&#¶@#                                          #@¶#&%†»^.
,,,«;%§§£#                                          #£§§%;«,,,
¨..,-:^£##                                          ##£^:-,..¨