¨¨¨¨,,¨¨.=                                          =.¨¨,,¨¨¨¨
,,,,.,,,=:                                          :=,,,.,,,,
,¨,¨¨..»;*                                          *;»..¨¨,¨,
,.,,.,-:%*                                          *%:-,.,,.,
¨.¨,.~^†§£                                          £§†^~.,¨.¨
,¨¨-~:*¤##                 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.              ###$=\»^..
,¨.~~†*£@#                                          #@£*†~~.¨,
¨¨,,-~;*£¶                                          ¶£*;~-,,¨¨
,.,¨.^~=§¤                                          ¤§=~^.¨,.,
,.¨¨¨,,~==                                          ==~,,¨¨¨.,
..¨...,-»^                                          ^»-,...¨..
.¨¨,¨...,»                                          »,...¨,¨¨.