¨.,,,.,.^=                                          =^.,.,,,.¨
...,,¨,,..                                          ..,,¨,,...
.¨¨¨¨..,,¨                                          ¨,,..¨¨¨¨.
,¨,,.¨..¨¨                                          ¨¨..¨.,,¨,
,,¨..¨..,,                                          ,,..¨..¨,,
,¨,,..¨¨,,                 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.              #£@%=†=^,¨
,~~==¤££##                                          ##££¤==~~,
,.,~^=¤&£#                                          #£&¤=^~,.,
¨..:~^†£#¶                                          ¶#£†^~:..¨
.¨¨.~=*§@§                                          §@§*=~.¨¨.
¨¨,..-~=§&                                          &§=~-..,¨¨
¨¨...,^=;^                                          ^;=^,...¨¨