¨.¨.,¨-«=†                                          †=«-¨,.¨.¨
,.,....-«;                                          ;«-....,.,
,¨.¨¨,.,^»                                          »^,.,¨¨.¨,
¨¨,¨.¨.,.^                                          ^.,.¨.¨,¨¨
...¨¨.¨¨..                                          ..¨¨.¨¨...
..¨...¨¨,,                 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.              %\»^¨¨,...
.,¨¨,..-«=                                          =«-..,¨¨,.
,,.,.,...=                                          =...,.,.,,
¨...,.¨.¨,                                          ,¨.¨.,...¨
,.,,,.,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,.,,,.,
,¨.,..¨,,^                                          ^,,¨..,.¨,
,.,¨,,¨¨^~                                          ~^¨¨,,¨,.,