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