,..,,,.,,«                                          «,,.,,,..,
.¨,..¨.¨.,                                          ,.¨.¨..,¨.
..,¨¨,¨¨,¨                                          ¨,¨¨,¨¨,..
¨¨,¨,,¨.¨.                                          .¨.¨,,¨,¨¨
¨.¨,¨,,¨..                                          ..¨,,¨,¨.¨
,¨.,...,,-                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 #@§$;=:,¨¨
,,.«;*%@@#              throw it away.              #@@%*;«.,,
¨.»:§£&#@#                                          #@#&£§:».¨
¨¨^-^%%@@#                                          #@@%%^-^¨¨
,,,:~;$*£#                                          #£*$;~:,,,
¨..¨:~;%$£                                          £$%;~:¨..¨
.,.¨.,==*%                                          %*==,.¨.,.
¨,..,,,»;$                                          $;»,,,..,¨