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