.,¨.,,,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,,,.¨,.
..,,¨,.,,»                                          »,,.,¨,,..
¨.¨,,.,.-:                                          :-.,.,,¨.¨
.,...,,»=%                                          %=»,,...,.
¨¨,,¨:=;*%                                          %*;=:¨,,¨¨
¨,.¨~-\§*£                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.              %†\=-¨¨¨¨.
...,¨¨~=:§                                          §:=~¨¨,...
¨,,.,¨¨:~*                                          *~:¨¨,.,,¨
,¨,¨,.¨,^»                                          »^,¨.,¨,¨,
,¨..¨..¨..                                          ..¨..¨..¨,
..¨¨,¨,,,,                                          ,,,,¨,¨¨..
¨¨..,,¨.,¨                                          ¨,.¨,,..¨¨