,¨,,,¨¨^~:                                          :~^¨¨,,,¨,
..,,¨,,~;%                                          %;~,,¨,,..
¨¨,,¨,~=%&                                          &%=~,¨,,¨¨
,.,.:~=%*¤                                          ¤*%=~:.,.,
,,,,-=^&&#                                          #&&^=-,,,,
¨,.~;†£§@#                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 ##¤$*=»,¨.
¨.,,»=†&@#             other belongings.            #@&†=»,,.¨
¨..,:~:**&                                          &**:~:,..¨
.,,...»:^& it's a statuette of a girl  laying naked &^:»...,,.
.¨.,.¨-=;§ on   her  stomach,  feet  in   the  air, §;=-¨.,.¨.
...,,¨¨.»;   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ;».¨¨,,...
¨.¨¨.,,.:- freshly  made, not yet completely dried. -:.,,.¨¨.¨
.¨.¨¨,..,.                                          .,..,¨¨.¨.
,,.,¨¨,¨.. my mom is here now.  i ask  her for some ..¨,¨¨,.,,
.¨,.,,,,.. particle  board  for it  to  dry on, but ..,,,,.,¨.
,,¨.¨,.¨-~ she   is   worried   and  wants   me  to ~-¨.,¨.¨,,
¨¨¨¨,¨¨~~†              throw it away.              †~~¨¨,¨¨¨¨
,,¨,.,:~:§                                          §:~:,.,¨,,
¨,..,^-/^$                                          $^/-^,..,¨
¨..,,«/*¤§                                          §¤*/«,,..¨
.¨¨,~:=£¤#                                          #¤£=:~,¨¨.
¨¨^=††¤£##                                          ##£¤††=^¨¨
¨,-;§£§###                                          ###§£§;-,¨