,¨,.¨¨,-~;                                          ;~-,¨¨.,¨,
¨¨¨..¨,,,~                                          ~,,,¨..¨¨¨
....¨¨,.,,                                          ,,.,¨¨....
.,,.,...,.                                          .,...,.,,.
¨...¨¨.,,.                                          .,,.¨¨...¨
¨.¨,¨¨.¨¨.                 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.              =«,.,,¨,,¨
,.,,¨.¨,~~                                          ~~,¨.¨,,.,
.¨..¨.,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,.¨..¨.
,,¨.¨.,.,,                                          ,,.,.¨.¨,,
¨,,,¨.,,,¨                                          ¨,,,.¨,,,¨
.,,,,¨¨¨,,                                          ,,¨¨¨,,,,.
¨.¨....¨,¨                                          ¨,¨....¨.¨