¨.,¨¨,-»/=                                          =/»-,¨¨,.¨
..¨¨,.,^~/                                          /~^,.,¨¨..
¨..,.,.¨^-                                          -^¨.,.,..¨
,,.¨..¨,¨,                                          ,¨,¨..¨.,,
¨¨..¨.,,:=                                          =:,,.¨..¨¨
,..¨.¨.,»†                 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.              £**/»^,.,,
,¨,:==§@&#                                          #&@§==:,¨,
,,:»;*%@¶#                                          #¶@%*;»:,,
.~~†=¤@@##                                          ##@@¤=†~~.
,..-/*££##                                          ##££*/-..,
,¨.,~==%¤¶                                          ¶¤%==~,.¨,
.¨,..«\%$§                                          §$%\«..,¨.