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