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