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