¨,,¨.:~†*%                                          %*†~:.¨,,¨
.¨..,.,~\§                                          §\~,.,..¨.
..,¨.,,~~;                                          ;~~,,.¨,..
..,......=                                          =......,..
.¨.¨,,,¨,.                                          .,¨,,,¨.¨.
¨,¨,.,,,,¨                 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.              ¨¨,,¨.,¨¨,
.,,,¨.,.,.                                          .,.,.¨,,,.
,,,¨¨.,.,.                                          .,.,.¨¨,,,
¨¨¨.¨¨¨¨,,                                          ,,¨¨¨¨.¨¨¨
,.¨,¨,¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨,¨,¨.,
.,,..,,¨.~                                          ~.¨,,..,,.
¨,,,¨¨.,~*                                          *~,.¨¨,,,¨