¨.,,¨,:~\=                                          =\~:,¨,,.¨
¨¨¨¨,,.:~/                                          /~:.,,¨¨¨¨
.¨.,,..,,~                                          ~,,..,,.¨.
.,,,.,¨.,:                                          :,.¨,.,,,.
,¨.¨.¨,.,«                                          «,.,¨.¨.¨,
,.,¨,¨,-~/                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 ###$*\».,.
¨:~/*£¤### clay figure i've  never seen  before. it ###¤£*/~:¨
,¨.-†^%§¶# must  have been laying  in the wet dirt, #¶§%^†-.¨,
,,¨~=\*@@¶ and  i  must've  picked  it  up  with my ¶@@*\=~¨,,
....-=/*£¤             other belongings.            ¤£*/=-....
,.¨,.:-=%§                                          §%=-:.,¨.,
¨¨.¨..^-:% it's a statuette of a girl laying  naked %:-^..¨.¨¨
¨¨..¨,.~=/ on   her   stomach,  feet  in  the  air, /=~.,¨..¨¨
¨,¨.¨¨¨,--   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   --,¨¨¨.¨,¨
,..¨,,¨,.: freshly  made, not yet completely dried. :.,¨,,¨..,
.¨¨¨.¨,¨^=                                          =^¨,¨.¨¨¨.
¨¨,¨,,.~»* my mom is here  now. i ask her  for some *»~.,,¨,¨¨
.¨¨¨,,.~/^ particle  board  for it  to  dry on, but ^/~.,,¨¨¨.
¨¨,..,-=†% she   is  worried   and   wants   me  to %†=-,..,¨¨
.¨,,-~*§@£              throw it away.              £@§*~-,,¨.
.¨.,~†*@¤#                                          #¤@*†~,.¨.
,,~~;^*&£@                                          @£&*^;~~,,
,--††%§¶@#                                          #@¶§%††--,
..-~†*§£##                                          ##£§*†~-..
..,-==*§#£                                          £#§*==-,..
,¨..,~\%$@                                          @$%\~,..¨,