,¨,.¨.¨¨,-                                          -,¨¨.¨.,¨,
¨¨¨..,...:                                          :...,..¨¨¨
¨,.,....¨.                                          .¨....,.,¨
..,..,.,.~                                          ~.,.,..,..
¨...,,¨.-»                                          »-.¨,,...¨
..,..¨,,=/                 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.              =~,¨,¨,.¨¨
,..¨¨¨.¨,.                                          .,¨.¨¨¨..,
,,.,...,¨.                                          .¨,...,.,,
,¨¨,¨.,,¨^                                          ^¨,,.¨,¨¨,
,,¨.,¨...-                                          -...¨,.¨,,
,.¨,,,¨~=\                                          \=~¨,,,¨.,
..¨¨,,.=/§                                          §/=.,,¨¨..