.¨¨,...,.«                                          «.,...,¨¨.
.¨.,.,,,.,                                          ,.,,,.,.¨.
..,...,..,                                          ,..,...,..
.¨¨¨,..,.¨                                          ¨.,..,¨¨¨.
,.,¨¨,.¨..                                          ..¨.,¨¨,.,
.¨..,,.¨¨,                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.              -:.,¨¨¨..¨
,,...¨¨~~^                                          ^~~¨¨...,,
¨¨,¨,¨~~/%                                          %/~~¨,¨,¨¨
,¨,¨¨,=:†£                                          £†:=,¨¨,¨,
,¨¨,:~*%%£                                          £%%*~:,¨¨,
,,¨^==^%@#                                          #@%^==^¨,,
¨¨:»:*@§@@                                          @@§@*:»:¨¨