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