¨..¨,.,,:=                                          =:,,.,¨..¨
.,,¨,¨.~=:                                          :=~.¨,¨,,.
,,.,..~=*†                                          †*=~..,.,,
¨.,.,:=†*&                                          &*†=:,.,.¨
,,..:~*%§£                                          £§%*~:..,,
.,¨~==^%&¶                 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   $:«,¨¨¨..,
.¨,¨.,.,«; freshly made, not yet  completely dried. ;«,.,.¨,¨.
,.¨¨,,,.-»                                          »-.,,,¨¨.,
.¨.,,,,¨¨. my mom is here  now. i ask her  for some .¨¨,,,,.¨.
..¨¨¨...¨¨ particle  board  for it  to dry  on, but ¨¨...¨¨¨..
.,.,..¨.¨- she   is   worried  and  wants   me   to -¨.¨..,.,.
,,¨,¨¨,¨-~              throw it away.              ~-¨,¨¨,¨,,
,,¨..,.,~*                                          *~,.,..¨,,
¨...,.,=;=                                          =;=,.,...¨
..¨.,:»\*&                                          &*\»:,.¨..
,.,.-=*^$£                                          £$^*=-.,.,
...~-\*$#¶                                          ¶#$*\-~...
,,:~*§$¤¶#                                          #¶¤$§*~:,,