.,..,¨¨¨,~                                          ~,¨¨¨,..,.
,¨,..,¨¨-=                                          =-¨¨,..,¨,
¨¨,,,,¨~=*                                          *=~¨,,,,¨¨
¨..¨,¨~=;§                                          §;=~¨,¨..¨
..,,.,~=†¤                                          ¤†=~,.,,..
,¨.¨,»^*$&                statuette                 &$*^»,¨.¨,
.,¨.~^=%&#                                          #&%=^~.¨,.
¨¨,=*^¤§@@ §§%&%%£%§*£$%%$¤~---»-~-*¤¤$§*¤£%&%@@£§% @@§¤^*=,¨¨
¨-=;*$£#@#                 *%%£$%¤@&                #@#£$*;=-¨
¨..~\%%@¶#                                          #¶@%%\~..¨
¨.,.«\%%&# 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 ¤$*;~:¨.¨,
¨,¨.»/†%§¶ must have  been laying  in the wet dirt, ¶§%†/».¨,¨
,,.~/%@#¶@ and  i  must've picked  it  up  with  my @¶#@%/~.,,
.,=†%&#¶##             other belongings.            ##¶#&%†=,.
¨,~«†^&§£#                                          #£§&^†«~,¨
,¨¨^~††£§¶ it's  a statuette of a girl laying naked ¶§£††~^¨¨,
....,»:^*¤ on  her   stomach,  feet  in   the  air, ¤*^:»,....
,,,¨¨.«^*¤   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ¤*^«.¨¨,,,
,..,¨.:~^* freshly  made, not yet completely dried. *^~:.¨,..,
..¨,.,,:=*                                          *=:,,.,¨..
,.¨,.,¨¨~» my mom is here now. i  ask her  for some »~¨¨,.,¨.,
,¨,.,,.¨¨~ particle board for  it  to  dry on,  but ~¨¨.,,.,¨,
¨.¨.,...¨. she   is   worried  and   wants  me   to .¨...,.¨.¨
¨,,...,,.-              throw it away.              -.,,...,,¨
¨..,,,,,^«                                          «^,,,,,..¨
¨,,.,¨.,=;                                          ;=,.¨,.,,¨
¨,..¨,^~:%                                          %:~^,¨..,¨
......~*†§                                          §†*~......
.,¨.:=/§£§                                          §£§/=:.¨,.
,..^«:$£##                                          ##£$:«^..,