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