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