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