.,¨.¨¨¨,¨~                                          ~¨,¨¨¨.¨,.
¨...,,,,:»                                          »:,,,,...¨
,¨.¨¨,¨.~=                                          =~.¨,¨¨.¨,
,¨¨..,^«:%                                          %:«^,..¨¨,
¨¨...~~\*¤                                          ¤*\~~...¨¨
.¨,.^=^†%#                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.              ^¨,,¨,,,.¨
,¨.,.,¨¨:»                                          »:¨¨,.,.¨,
,,¨,.,,-»=                                          =»-,,.,¨,,
.¨,.¨.,~;†                                          †;~,.¨.,¨.
,,,¨.,~:†*                                          *†:~,.¨,,,
,.,¨-~†%¤¤                                          ¤¤%†~-¨,.,
.¨¨.=:*¤£#                                          #£¤*:=.¨¨.