.¨...¨.,,.                                          .,,.¨...¨.
.,¨,¨¨.¨..                                          ..¨.¨¨,¨,.
¨,¨¨..¨,,.                                          .,,¨..¨¨,¨
¨..,..¨,,,                                          ,,,¨..,..¨
¨,¨,.¨¨.,,                                          ,,.¨¨.,¨,¨
.¨¨¨¨.¨,¨¨                 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.              &**^-,,¨..
¨¨..,,-;=%                                          %=;-,,..¨¨
¨....,-~:%                                          %:~-,....¨
,.¨..,¨.~*                                          *~.¨,..¨.,
¨¨,¨.¨..,-                                          -,..¨.¨,¨¨
¨,.,,,¨¨.^                                          ^.¨¨,,,.,¨
,¨¨.,,.,¨¨                                          ¨¨,.,,.¨¨,