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