.,¨...¨¨.»                                          ».¨¨...¨,.
.,,¨...--/                                          /--...¨,,.
,¨,.,¨.~\†                                          †\~.¨,.,¨,
,,¨,¨,«*†£                                          £†*«,¨,¨,,
¨.,,~~=%&@                                          @&%=~~,,.¨
.¨.-«;%&##                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.              †*~..¨,,,¨
..,.,,,.«/                                          /«.,,,.,..
,,¨.¨,,.^«                                          «^.,,¨.¨,,
¨,¨¨¨.,.,.                                          .,.,.¨¨¨,¨
.¨,...,¨.¨                                          ¨.¨,...,¨.
,.¨..¨,.,¨                                          ¨,.,¨..¨.,
.¨¨¨¨.¨,,,                                          ,,,¨.¨¨¨¨.