¨..¨¨,¨,¨.                                          .¨,¨,¨¨..¨
¨¨,¨,.¨,,¨                                          ¨,,¨.,¨,¨¨
~¨,,¨¨¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨¨¨,,¨~
-:¨¨,¨¨,¨.                                          .¨,¨¨,¨¨:-
:~:¨¨,,..,                                          ,..,,¨¨:~:
%;=-,,¨¨,¨                 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.              ¨,¨¨..,...
,¨.,,.,,.¨                                          ¨.,,.,,.¨,
.¨,..,,,.,                                          ,.,,,..,¨.
«^..¨,¨..,                                          ,..¨,¨..^«
=~^,.,.,,.                                          .,,.,.,^~=
^=~:.,..¨,                                          ,¨..,.:~=^
§*=~~¨,.,.                                          .,.,¨~~=*§