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