¨¨.,¨.¨¨.¨                                          ¨.¨¨.¨,.¨¨
¨.¨¨,..,.¨                                          ¨.,..,¨¨.¨
..¨¨¨¨..,,                                          ,,..¨¨¨¨..
.,¨.,¨....                                          ....¨,.¨,.
.,.,,,¨,,^                                          ^,,¨,,,.,.
.,.,¨.,,.~                 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, $§†«..,.,.
.¨,.,..»^* and i  must've  picked  it  up  with  my *^»..,.,¨.
¨..,...,=:            other belongings.             :=,...,..¨
,¨¨..¨.¨~«                                          «~¨.¨..¨¨,
.,¨,,.,¨¨, it's a statuette  of a girl laying naked ,¨¨,.,,¨,.
,.,¨.,.¨¨¨ on   her  stomach,   feet  in  the  air, ¨¨¨.,.¨,.,
¨.,¨.¨,.,.   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   .,.,¨.¨,.¨
,.,¨,..,¨, freshly  made, not yet completely dried. ,¨,..,¨,.,
,,,¨.¨.,¨.                                          .¨,.¨.¨,,,
.,,.,,,.,. my mom is here now. i ask her  for  some .,.,,,.,,.
.,¨¨¨¨,¨,- particle  board for  it to dry  on,  but -,¨,¨¨¨¨,.
¨,...¨,,~~ she  is   worried  and   wants   me   to ~~,,¨...,¨
¨¨¨,,¨,:»\              throw it away.              \»:,¨,,¨¨¨
,¨¨..,,»^=                                          =^»,,..¨¨,
.,..¨--:^%                                          %^:--¨..,.
¨¨..~=:%$§                                          §$%:=~..¨¨
..,.~\=££@                                          @££=\~.,..
..,»*=$###                                          ###$=*»,..
,-«/$£¤#@#                                          #@#¤£$/«-,