.¨¨,,...,=                                          =,...,,¨¨.
,.,,.¨,.,,                                          ,,.,¨.,,.,
.,,,,¨¨.,¨                                          ¨,.¨¨,,,,.
.,.,¨¨.¨,.                                          .,¨.¨¨,.,.
¨¨¨¨.,.,,¨                                          ¨,,.,.¨¨¨¨
.¨¨¨,¨..¨¨                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.              .,¨¨,,,¨,,
¨..,.¨..,.                                          .,..¨.,..¨
,¨¨.¨,.¨,»                                          »,¨.,¨.¨¨,
,,¨¨.¨.~«*                                          *«~.¨.¨¨,,
,.¨..,.«**                                          **«.,..¨.,
¨..,,^~\=@                                          @=\~^,,..¨
...¨:»=§¤§                                          §¤§=»:¨...