,,-*$$@###                                          ###@$$*-,,
..,~††&¤@#                                          #@¤&††~,..
¨,¨.«†*££@                                          @££*†«.¨,¨
¨,..,~/$£@                                          @£$/~,..,¨
,,,.,,-/$$                                          $$/-,,.,,,
,..¨.,--†%                 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.              =~~,.¨.¨,¨
,,¨¨¨..¨.-                                          -.¨..¨¨¨,,
¨,.¨.,¨¨.^                                          ^.¨¨,.¨.,¨
¨.¨,¨¨¨..,                                          ,..¨¨¨,¨.¨
.¨..,,,¨.,                                          ,.¨,,,..¨.
,¨¨,¨,,¨,.                                          .,¨,,¨,¨¨,
¨,,¨.,.¨¨.                                          .¨¨.,.¨,,¨