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