,¨,¨¨,,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,,¨¨,¨,
,.,,,¨,,.¨                                          ¨.,,¨,,,.,
¨,¨,.,.,¨~                                          ~¨,.,.,¨,¨
¨.,,,,,¨.~                                          ~.¨,,,,,.¨
¨.,¨¨..,~^                                          ^~,..¨¨,.¨
,....¨^~;*                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 #@£%$*-^..
.,»^^&#¶## radio  (now  dented) but  also  a  small ##¶#&^^»,.
.,.~\*%### clay figure  i've never seen before.  it ###%*\~.,.
¨..,«:§£&¶ must have been  laying in the wet  dirt, ¶&£§:«,..¨
¨,.,:~:%*& and  i  must've  picked  it up  with  my &*%:~:,.,¨
¨¨,.,~~†*£             other belongings.            £*†~~,.,¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨.,=**                                          **=,.¨¨¨¨¨
,.,,¨¨¨^-† it's a statuette of a  girl laying naked †-^¨¨¨,,.,
...¨¨¨,,~~ on  her  stomach,  feet  in   the   air, ~~,,¨¨¨...
.¨¨,¨¨.¨¨-   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   -¨¨.¨¨,¨¨.
,,,¨¨.¨.,¨ freshly made, not yet completely  dried. ¨,.¨.¨¨,,,
¨¨,,...¨..                                          ..¨...,,¨¨
,,¨,¨¨¨.,. my mom is here now. i  ask her for  some .,.¨¨¨,¨,,
...,..,,.¨ particle  board for  it  to dry on,  but ¨.,,..,...
,¨...¨,,,. she  is   worried   and   wants  me   to .,,,¨...¨,
¨¨¨¨,,¨.,,              throw it away.              ,,.¨,,¨¨¨¨
¨,,,,,¨¨,¨                                          ¨,¨¨,,,,,¨
,,.¨¨¨¨¨,~                                          ~,¨¨¨¨¨.,,
¨.¨¨¨,.,,=                                          =,,.,¨¨¨.¨
..,..¨.,»;                                          ;»,.¨..,..
,.¨¨,.:=^*                                          *^=:.,¨¨.,
¨¨,.,-~*$&                                          &$*~-,.,¨¨