,¨¨.¨.,¨¨:                                          :¨¨,.¨.¨¨,
.,,¨¨.,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,.¨¨,,.
¨¨,¨.¨,.¨¨                                          ¨¨.,¨.¨,¨¨
,¨,¨,¨.¨.¨                                          ¨.¨.¨,¨,¨,
.......¨¨,                                          ,¨¨.......
¨.¨,¨¨.,.,                 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.              ^¨.¨.,.¨.,
.,.,¨.¨.--                                          --.¨.¨,.,.
¨¨.,,,.,«*                                          *«,.,,,.¨¨
¨..,,.-~†*                                          *†~-.,,..¨
¨¨.¨,-=;§£                                          £§;=-,¨.¨¨
,,,,:~=§%#                                          #%§=~:,,,,
¨.,-~\^*@#                                          #@*^\~-,.¨