,.¨¨,,¨..«                                          «..¨,,¨¨.,
¨.,,,,...,                                          ,...,,,,.¨
..¨¨¨.,,.,                                          ,.,,.¨¨¨..
¨,¨.,¨,.,.                                          .,.,¨,.¨,¨
.¨¨¨¨,,¨.,                                          ,.¨,,¨¨¨¨.
,..,,¨¨,.¨                 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.              .,.,.,.¨..
.¨¨¨¨.,.,~                                          ~,.,.¨¨¨¨.
¨.,¨.,,¨-~                                          ~-¨,,.¨,.¨
¨¨.,.¨¨:«=                                          =«:¨¨.,.¨¨
,,.¨,..~\*                                          *\~..,¨.,,
,.¨,¨:~:§£                                          £§:~:¨,¨.,
.¨¨.~~^§¤£                                          £¤§^~~.¨¨.