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