¨,¨...¨¨¨.                                          .¨¨¨...¨,¨
...,,,,¨,,                                          ,,¨,,,,...
¨,,¨.,,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,,.¨,,¨
.¨¨.,,¨¨¨,                                          ,¨¨¨,,.¨¨.
,¨¨,,,,,.^                                          ^.,,,,,¨¨,
¨,.¨.¨¨¨.»                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 ##¶#$†;»-¨
¨¨~~=%*¤¶# backyard. from my pockets i  retrieve my #¶¤*%=~~¨¨
¨¨.-~†**£@ radio  (now  dented)  but  also a  small @£**†~-.¨¨
.¨¨¨~»;^§@ clay figure i've never seen  before.  it @§^;»~¨¨¨.
,,¨¨.:~=§% must have been laying  in the wet  dirt, %§=~:.¨¨,,
.¨,,,.~»*% and  i  must've  picked  it up  with  my %*»~.,,,¨.
¨.¨.,¨.-«;            other belongings.             ;«-.¨,.¨.¨
,.,.¨,,.-~                                          ~-.,,¨.,.,
,..,.¨.¨¨, it's  a statuette of a girl laying naked ,¨¨.¨.,..,
¨.¨,.¨,,¨, on  her  stomach,  feet  in   the   air, ,¨,,¨.,¨.¨
¨..¨,¨,,..   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ..,,¨,¨..¨
.¨,,,,,,,, freshly made,  not yet completely dried. ,,,,,,,,¨.
.¨,.,¨..,,                                          ,,..¨,.,¨.
¨..,,¨¨¨,¨ my mom is  here now. i ask her for  some ¨,¨¨¨,,..¨
.,,,,,¨,¨, particle  board for  it to  dry on,  but ,¨,¨,,,,,.
.¨,,....,~ she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to ~,....,,¨.
¨..,,,¨:»/              throw it away.              /»:¨,,,..¨
.,.¨¨,:»\§                                          §\»:,¨¨.,.
¨,.¨,,»:$%                                          %$:»,,¨.,¨
,..,-«\%&#                                          #&%\«-,..,
.¨.~»=%£#£                                          £#£%=»~.¨.
¨¨^-^%&@¶#                                          #¶@&%^-^¨¨
.,«=§&@¶##                                          ##¶@&§=«,.