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