,,¨.¨.,.,,                                          ,,.,.¨.¨,,
,¨,.¨¨¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨¨¨.,¨,
,¨,,,..¨,.                                          .,¨..,,,¨,
,.,,.¨¨.:~                                          ~:.¨¨.,,.,
¨,...¨.^-†                                          †-^.¨...,¨
¨,,¨,,,=*%                 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.              ,..,,,¨,¨.
¨¨.,,,.,,¨                                          ¨,,.,,,.¨¨
,.,.,,.,..                                          ..,.,,.,.,
,.,..¨,..~                                          ~..,¨..,.,
¨,,.¨¨..~=                                          =~..¨¨.,,¨
..¨.,¨,=;%                                          %;=,¨,.¨..
¨,.,.:-†%¤                                          ¤%†-:.,.,¨