¨,.,¨..~†*                                          *†~..¨,.,¨
.¨¨.¨.«^$£                                          £$^«.¨.¨¨.
,.,.~»:%£¤                                          ¤£%:»~.,.,
¨..~«/%§£#                                          #£§%/«~..¨
,,.=^*%&¶#                                          #¶&%*^=.,,
.-«;*$&###                statuette                 ###&$*;«-.
.¨:-;$&£@#                                          #@£&$;-:¨.
.¨,:-=%&¤¶ §%&@¤**$§$§££%%*-~»««»«-%%$$&@£@$&§£&£¤% ¶¤&%=-:,¨.
¨¨,.^~=§*@                %@@*¤**%¤                 @*§=~^.,¨¨
...¨¨~~/=§                                          §=/~~¨¨...
¨¨¨...,=†$ 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 $%=-.,¨.¨,
¨.,¨¨¨,-=* radio  (now  dented) but  also  a  small *=-,¨¨¨,.¨
.,.¨,,.~«; clay figure  i've never  seen before. it ;«~.,,¨.,.
.¨¨.,.,.-= must have  been laying in  the wet dirt, =-.,.,.¨¨.
,....¨,¨¨- and i  must've  picked  it  up  with  my -¨¨,¨....,
¨.,,¨.,.¨,            other belongings.             ,¨.,.¨,,.¨
¨..¨¨¨,¨..                                          ..¨,¨¨¨..¨
.....¨¨.¨, it's a statuette of  a girl laying naked ,¨.¨¨.....
,,¨.¨.¨¨¨, on   her  stomach,  feet  in   the  air, ,¨¨¨.¨.¨,,
,¨¨¨,¨¨..,   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ,..¨¨,¨¨¨,
¨¨,....,,¨ freshly made,  not yet completely dried. ¨,,....,¨¨
¨.,..,.,,¨                                          ¨,,.,..,.¨
,¨,.¨¨,.¨^ my mom is here  now. i ask her for  some ^¨.,¨¨.,¨,
,,...,¨,-« particle  board for  it  to dry  on, but «-,¨,...,,
.¨,¨¨,¨-«\ she  is   worried   and   wants  me   to \«-¨,¨¨,¨.
¨.¨¨..:~/§              throw it away.              §/~:..¨¨.¨
.,..¨:«*=%                                          %=*«:¨..,.
,¨,¨^=^$£@                                          @£$^=^¨,¨,
,,,~~^*%£#                                          #£%*^~~,,,
,¨^«;*@&##                                          ##&@*;«^¨,
¨:~^^$@£##                                          ##£@$^^~:¨
,¨:=\§*£@#                                          #@£*§\=:¨,