,..,¨,¨.~†                                          †~.¨,¨,..,
.¨.,,,-»†§                                          §†»-,,,.¨.
¨.,.,.«;**                                          **;«.,.,.¨
..,¨-~=%%&                                          &%%=~-¨,..
,¨¨-»†*$@@                                          @@$*†»-¨¨,
,.,«^$$&@#                 statuette                #@&$$^«,.,
,,~=§$@@##                                          ##@@$§=~,,
¨,^-*^£¤¶# £@¤$%¤§$@**$%&%%-~»-~~»-@@%%$@%$§$*@£¤*@ #¶¤£^*-^,¨
.¨.,~^§%£@                 $&¤&$£§§£                @£%§^~,.¨.
¨¨,,^~†%£@                                          @£%†~^,,¨¨
¨,¨¨,:~:$& forests around my childhood  home. thick &$:~:,¨¨,¨
,.¨,,¨,«^* 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.              #&§$;»,,.¨
.,¨¨~=/†$#                                          #$†/=~¨¨,.
,,,¨,.~:§$                                          $§:~.,¨,,,
.,.¨,,-«^†                                          †^«-,,¨.,.
,.....¨~-†                                          †-~¨.....,
,,¨.¨..,,«                                          «,,..¨.¨,,
¨,..¨,,..,                                          ,..,,¨..,¨