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