.¨,.¨,.¨.«                                          «.¨.,¨.,¨.
.,,..¨.,-:                                          :-,.¨..,,.
¨.,,,.:«*§                                          §*«:.,,,.¨
,¨.¨.,-††*                                          *††-,.¨.¨,
¨,¨¨.-^=£§                                          §£=^-.¨¨,¨
¨¨.^-\=$&@                 statuette                @&$=\-^.¨¨
,¨~~\=$@¶@                                          @¶@$=\~~¨,
.~«†^*&£## ¤$@§£$$£$$%£*@%£-«=~--~~¤$$§&@@*§£@$$$£* ##£&*^†«~.
.,--^**###                 @£§£$£*£§                ###**^--,.
¨,¨,»;†£¤¶                                          ¶¤£†;»,¨,¨
,,¨.:-/*¤@ forests around  my childhood home. thick @¤*/-:.¨,,
¨¨..¨,~:^@ pine  arcades  that  were   planted  and @^:~,¨..¨¨
¨¨¨¨,.,~*=      forgotten. wild boars roaming       =*~,.,¨¨¨¨
.¨,¨,,,,~^ underneath,  sniffing at the  ground. it ^~,,,,¨,¨.
.¨.¨,.¨..= is  dark  and moist, the  canopy  having =..¨.,¨.¨.
.,.,¨.¨,¨- already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. -¨,¨.¨,.,.
,,,,.,.¨.¨                                          ¨.¨.,.,,,,
.¨.,,,¨¨., there's  a river passing  by, from  east ,.¨¨,,,.¨.
.,¨.¨¨,¨,. to west, getting  broader and deeper and .,¨,¨¨.¨,.
,¨,¨¨¨.,,, slower  as  it goes. equisetum grow just ,,,.¨¨¨,¨,
,¨¨¨¨.¨.,. where  the   pine  hands  start  to  let .,.¨.¨¨¨¨,
.,..¨...,, through light,  horsemint on  the  rocky ,,...¨..,.
.,¨,.,.,.,                river bed.                ,.,.,.,¨,.
,,,¨,,¨¨,,                                          ,,¨¨,,¨,,,
..¨¨,,¨¨,¨                     \                    ¨,¨¨,,¨¨..
,¨.¨,¨,,..                                          ..,,¨,¨.¨,
.,.,.¨.¨,~ the  riverbanks reek  of  magic. tonight ~,¨.¨.,.,.
,¨,.¨..~=^ they had been a  swampworld with  sylvan ^=~..¨.,¨,
¨¨¨¨,.:~^% water, stone rings  and  floating  moss. %^~:.,¨¨¨¨
.,¨.¨^~^†$ 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.              ¨,¨.¨¨¨.,.
....¨¨,¨..                                          ..¨,¨¨....
¨¨,.,¨,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,¨,.,¨¨
¨¨,.,..¨,,                                          ,,¨..,.,¨¨
¨¨¨,,¨,,¨,                                          ,¨,,¨,,¨¨¨
,¨¨,.¨,¨,,                                          ,,¨,¨.,¨¨,
..,¨,,.¨~«                                          «~¨.,,¨,..