,,¨¨,.¨.~»                                          »~.¨.,¨¨,,
,..¨¨,¨¨¨,                                          ,¨¨¨,¨¨..,
,¨,..,¨,,¨                                          ¨,,¨,..,¨,
¨¨,,..,..~                                          ~..,..,,¨¨
.¨,,.,,,,«                                          «,,,,.,,¨.
¨.¨.,¨¨:=/                 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.              ~,.,¨¨¨,,.
¨¨..,.¨.,,                                          ,,.¨.,..¨¨
.¨¨.,.,¨,,                                          ,,¨,.,.¨¨.
,¨.¨¨¨¨¨¨.                                          .¨¨¨¨¨¨.¨,
,¨¨.,..,:=                                          =:,..,.¨¨,
¨,,,.¨,~«^                                          ^«~,¨.,,,¨
..¨¨¨,:-\%                                          %\-:,¨¨¨..