.,.,.,,¨,^                                          ^,¨,,.,.,.
,.¨..,¨¨,,                                          ,,¨¨,..¨.,
,¨.¨,¨,..,                                          ,..,¨,¨.¨,
.,,¨¨¨.,,»                                          »,,.¨¨¨,,.
.¨¨¨¨..^=^                                          ^=^..¨¨¨¨.
¨,..,¨,-:%                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.              :..,¨,.¨,¨
.¨..,,,..,                                          ,..,,,..¨.
¨,,..¨¨,,.                                          .,,¨¨..,,¨
.¨¨,,,,.--                                          --.,,,,¨¨.
.,¨¨,,,^«=                                          =«^,,,¨¨,.
¨¨,¨,.,~\^                                          ^\~,.,¨,¨¨
¨,.¨.:~††£                                          £††~:.¨.,¨