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