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