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