.,..¨.¨,¨~                                          ~¨,¨.¨..,.
,.,¨,.,¨,¨                                          ¨,¨,.,¨,.,
,¨¨¨¨,¨¨¨,                                          ,¨¨¨,¨¨¨¨,
¨...¨.,.^\                                          \^.,.¨...¨
¨,¨,,¨¨^**                                          **^¨¨,,¨,¨
,¨,¨¨.~^*¤                 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.              ~¨.,.¨,,,.
,.¨,..,¨,.                                          .,¨,..,¨.,
,.,¨,.,,.,                                          ,.,,.,¨,.,
,,..,¨,¨~=                                          =~¨,¨,..,,
..¨,¨..:^*                                          *^:..¨,¨..
¨.,,¨.~/*&                                          &*/~.¨,,.¨
,¨,,,~*^%@                                          @%^*~,,,¨,