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