¨,¨,,,~\£¤                                          ¤£\~,,,¨,¨
,¨¨¨¨¨~=/$                                          $/=~¨¨¨¨¨,
.,¨¨...~-=                                          =-~...¨¨,.
..,.¨¨¨.:-                                          -:.¨¨¨.,..
,,...,,¨,.                                          .,¨,,...,,
¨¨¨,,..¨,=                statuette                 =,¨..,,¨¨¨
,.,....^~/                                          /~^....,.,
..¨¨.,-~/¤ &%£¤¤&$*%§¤$*£%$»~-«»~~~&%@$$@$*&£*$¤&@& ¤/~-,.¨¨..
¨¨,..^-†§&                £$*¤*%§@@                 &§†-^..,¨¨
,..,,=†$#@                                          @#$†=,,..,
..,,«\$@#@ forests around  my childhood home. thick @#@$\«,,..
,.,«**@@## 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 §$*--,,¨¨,
..,¨¨,--=% on  her  stomach,   feet  in   the  air, %=--,¨¨,..
.¨,¨,¨¨~-\   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   \-~¨¨,¨,¨.
,.,.¨,.,^= freshly made, not  yet completely dried. =^,.,¨.,.,
.¨.¨¨.,.,~                                          ~,.,.¨¨.¨.
,,,,,¨¨¨^~ my mom is  here  now. i ask her for some ~^¨¨¨,,,,,
.,,.,¨,^«* particle  board  for it  to dry on,  but *«^,¨,.,,.
..¨.,,:=:% she  is   worried   and  wants   me   to %:=:,,.¨..
.,.¨,,=^&#              throw it away.              #&^=,,¨.,.
.¨,¨~-;¤££                                          ££¤;-~¨,¨.
...-=†*£¶#                                          #¶£*†=-...
.¨.~=§§¶@#                                          #@¶§§=~.¨.
.,=;§@¶@##                                          ##@¶@§;=,.
.¨:=^$§@##                                          ##@§$^=:¨.
,¨..=*£&£#                                          #£&£*=..¨,