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