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