,,¨,.¨,,,«                                          «,,,¨.,¨,,
,.,¨,.¨¨¨.                                          .¨¨¨.,¨,.,
.¨.,.,.¨.,                                          ,.¨.,.,.¨.
.¨,..,,...                                          ...,,..,¨.
.¨,,¨,....                                          ....,¨,,¨.
,..,¨¨..¨.                 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. $=\~,,.¨,,
...¨,-^%£&                                          &£%^-,¨...
¨,¨:»==%@# my mom is  here now. i ask her  for some #@%==»:¨,¨
,.:~:^£### particle  board  for it  to  dry on, but ###£^:~:.,
.:~*§&&### she  is   worried   and  wants   me   to ###&&§*~:.
,.:~;†££##              throw it away.              ##££†;~:.,
..,,=†^£§@                                          @§£^†=,,..
¨.¨.,»†*@#                                          #@*†»,.¨.¨
¨,¨,,.~=*£                                          £*=~.,,¨,¨
..¨,¨,,==$                                          $==,,¨,¨..
,¨..¨,,^~=                                          =~^,,¨..¨,
,.,,,.,..=                                          =..,.,,,.,