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