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