¨¨.,,.¨¨.~                                          ~.¨¨.,,.¨¨
,..¨¨....^                                          ^....¨¨..,
¨.¨,.¨,¨,¨                                          ¨,¨,¨.,¨.¨
¨.¨...¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨...¨.¨
¨¨,,.,,,,,                                          ,,,,,.,,¨¨
¨¨¨,,..,.~                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.              #£@**=~.,,
¨.~;$$@¶@#                                          #@¶@$$;~.¨
¨.:»:$%£##                                          ##£%$:»:.¨
¨,,~»*$%££                                          ££%$*»~,,¨
,,,¨^-**%#                                          #%**-^¨,,,
¨¨.¨,,~\%&                                          &%\~,,¨.¨¨
.¨.¨¨.~«/§                                          §/«~.¨¨.¨.