,..,¨..,,»                                          »,,..¨,..,
..¨.¨¨¨¨.~                                          ~.¨¨¨¨.¨..
.¨,,¨¨¨,¨,                                          ,¨,¨¨¨,,¨.
,.,.¨.....                                          .....¨.,.,
¨,..,,.,..                                          ..,.,,..,¨
¨¨¨.¨.,.,,                 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.              ##¤¤††~,.¨
¨,~=*%#@@#                                          #@@#%*=~,¨
,¨-»\=£¤##                                          ##¤£=\»-¨,
,¨¨,«**££¶                                          ¶££**«,¨¨,
.,¨.:~:=££                                          ££=:~:.¨,.
.,.,¨--*^§                                          §^*--¨,.,.
,¨¨¨.,,-/=                                          =/-,,.¨¨¨,