¨¨,.¨,.~»;                                          ;»~.,¨.,¨¨
¨,,¨¨,..,»                                          »,..,¨¨,,¨
,.¨,¨¨¨,¨-                                          -¨,¨¨¨,¨.,
.,.¨..¨¨,,                                          ,,¨¨..¨.,.
¨,¨.,¨,.,.                                          .,.,¨,.¨,¨
,¨¨¨,.¨,,,                 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.              *~^..,¨¨,¨
...¨,,¨,~=                                          =~,¨,,¨...
..¨¨¨,¨,.:                                          :.,¨,¨¨¨..
...¨.,¨,,.                                          .,,¨,.¨...
¨¨,.¨.,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,.¨.,¨¨
,,,,,¨¨,¨¨                                          ¨¨,¨¨,,,,,
,,,,,.¨.,,                                          ,,.¨.,,,,,