,.,..,.»\$                                          $\».,..,.,
¨.¨,.^-/*&                                          &*/-^.,¨.¨
,,¨¨,»\†%@                                          @%†\»,¨¨,,
,¨.-~/^%#@                                          @#%^/~-.¨,
,,^~/*%£¶#                                          #¶£%*/~^,,
,:«=%$¤¶@#                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.              ,,,.,¨.,,.
¨,.,¨¨..¨,                                          ,¨..¨¨,.,¨
¨,¨,¨.,...                                          ...,.¨,¨,¨
.,¨.¨.,,..                                          ..,,.¨.¨,.
,,¨..,.¨,~                                          ~,¨.,..¨,,
,,¨¨..,,~:                                          :~,,..¨¨,,
.¨,¨¨¨~»\§                                          §\»~¨¨¨,¨.