,,¨,«;*%¤¶                                          ¶¤%*;«,¨,,
,....~:$£@                                          @£$:~....,
.¨¨.¨-»:§&                                          &§:»-¨.¨¨.
,.¨....»/=                                          =/»....¨.,
,¨,¨.¨,^~;                                          ;~^,¨.¨,¨,
.,¨¨,¨,¨^»                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 @$%*«..¨.¨
¨,..¨~~*^*             other belongings.            *^*~~¨..,¨
.,..,,,~^%                                          %^~,,,..,.
,¨¨,¨..,~* it's a statuette of a girl laying  naked *~,..¨,¨¨,
,,..,..¨,= on   her  stomach,  feet   in  the  air, =,¨..,..,,
¨¨.¨¨¨¨,.-   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   -.,¨¨¨¨.¨¨
,,¨,,.,,,. freshly made, not yet completely  dried. .,,,.,,¨,,
.,...,..,.                                          .,..,...,.
¨,...,,.¨¨ my mom is  here  now. i ask her for some ¨¨.,,...,¨
¨¨¨...,¨,, particle  board  for  it to dry on,  but ,,¨,...¨¨¨
¨¨..¨.¨.^~ she   is   worried  and  wants   me   to ~^.¨.¨..¨¨
,¨¨,¨,.-«/              throw it away.              /«-.,¨,¨¨,
..,,,.:-\=                                          =\-:.,,,..
,¨¨.¨-«:*&                                          &*:«-¨.¨¨,
.,,.:-†^%¤                                          ¤%^†-:.,,.
¨,¨:»=$@#@                                          @#@$=»:¨,¨
,..=/§&@£#                                          #£@&§/=..,
,-«*§£§¶##                                          ##¶§£§*«-,