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