¨¨:===£¶##                                          ##¶£===:¨¨
.¨,~~/**@#                                          #@**/~~,¨.
,.,¨:~/%$@                                          @$%/~:¨,.,
..,,.:-:*&                                          &*:-:.,,..
..¨¨¨.,-/§                                          §/-,.¨¨¨..
,¨...,,:»/                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 ##¤$*~:¨¨,
..,-†=§### particle board for  it to  dry  on,  but ###§=†-,..
,^«\*&#### she   is  worried   and   wants  me   to ####&*\«^,
..~~:**¶##              throw it away.              ##¶**:~~..
.,,,~;%$#@                                          @#$%;~,,,.
¨,..-»:†&@                                          @&†:»-..,¨
,..¨¨:»=**                                          **=»:¨¨..,
..¨.¨¨,-;†                                          †;-,¨¨.¨..
,.¨.,¨.,~^                                          ^~,.¨,.¨.,
.¨.¨.¨¨¨-«                                          «-¨¨¨.¨.¨.