,,,,~;†¤&£                                          £&¤†;~,,,,
¨,^»==*§##                                          ##§*==»^,¨
,.=:§§&¶##                                          ##¶&§§:=.,
,¨^~:*§#@#                                          #@#§*:~^¨,
,,.^~^^$§£                                          £§$^^~^.,,
..,.~«††§£                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 $%=~,,¨,¨¨
.¨,¨¨,,~\= clearing  where you  at  first can  spot =\~,,¨¨,¨.
,,.,¨.¨^~; the   house,  not  yet  really  in   the ;~^¨.¨,.,,
,,¨¨¨.,,~~ backyard. from my pockets  i retrieve my ~~,,.¨¨¨,,
¨,,..,,,,, radio  (now dented)  but  also  a  small ,,,,,..,,¨
..,,,,¨,.. clay figure  i've never seen  before. it ..,¨,,,,..
¨.¨¨.¨,,¨. must  have been  laying in the wet dirt, .¨,,¨.¨¨.¨
,,,.¨..,¨, and  i  must've picked  it  up  with  my ,¨,..¨.,,,
.¨¨¨¨,¨..¨            other belongings.             ¨..¨,¨¨¨¨.
¨..,.,,,¨.                                          .¨,,,.,..¨
¨,,.¨¨¨.¨. it's a statuette  of a girl laying naked .¨.¨¨¨.,,¨
,¨,.,,,¨., on   her  stomach,  feet  in   the  air, ,.¨,,,.,¨,
¨,¨.¨¨¨¨¨^   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ^¨¨¨¨¨.¨,¨
....,,,,:- freshly made,  not yet completely dried. -:,,,,....
¨¨,¨.¨¨-«/                                          /«-¨¨.¨,¨¨
...,¨.~«;= my mom is here  now. i  ask her for some =;«~.¨,...
,,¨,.^-†%% particle board for  it  to  dry  on, but %%†-^.,¨,,
.¨¨¨^-/^£& she   is   worried   and  wants  me   to &£^/-^¨¨¨.
,¨¨,-\*@§@              throw it away.              @§@*\-,¨¨,
.,:~/^%§¶#                                          #¶§%^/~:,.
.:=*=@####                                          ####@=*=:.
.¨,~;=$#¶#                                          #¶#$=;~,¨.
¨,,:»:$§@@                                          @@§$:»:,,¨
.¨..,»/%$#                                          #$%/»,..¨.
,,¨.¨.-=†%                                          %†=-.¨.¨,,