,,¨,.¨.,-»                                          »-,.¨.,¨,,
,..¨¨,.,¨^                                          ^¨,.,¨¨..,
...¨,,¨¨..                                          ..¨¨,,¨...
¨.,..,,,.^                                          ^.,,,..,.¨
,¨,¨¨.,.~-                                          -~.,.¨¨,¨,
.¨.¨.,,,«=                 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.              -.¨,,,,,..
¨,¨¨,,,..,                                          ,..,,,¨¨,¨
¨,¨,¨¨¨.,,                                          ,,.¨¨¨,¨,¨
.,,,,.,¨,,                                          ,,¨,.,,,,.
¨.,¨¨.¨,^«                                          «^,¨.¨¨,.¨
¨.¨¨,,,.»\                                          \».,,,¨¨.¨
¨¨.,¨,~~=†                                          †=~~,¨,.¨¨