.,,¨,-~\**                                          **\~-,¨,,.
,,,...,~*†                                          †*~,...,,,
¨¨,..¨,:~*                                          *~:,¨..,¨¨
..¨¨.¨..,»                                          »,..¨.¨¨..
.,.,¨....:                                          :....¨,.,.
¨¨,.¨.¨¨¨.                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.              &*;«,,¨.¨.
.¨..¨.^=*§                                          §*=^.¨..¨.
.,.,¨,,,»^                                          ^»,,,¨,.,.
,,,,¨¨..,»                                          »,..¨¨,,,,
,...,¨¨,.^                                          ^.,¨¨,...,
¨.¨,¨¨,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,¨¨,¨.¨
,¨¨,¨.,.,.                                          .,.,.¨,¨¨,