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