,.,..¨¨,¨,                                          ,¨,¨¨..,.,
.,,....¨..                                          ..¨....,,.
¨.¨¨,.,,..                                          ..,,.,¨¨.¨
.¨....¨¨¨.                                          .¨¨¨....¨.
.¨.¨...¨.=                                          =.¨...¨.¨.
¨¨.,.¨,,~†                 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.              ,,.,,..,¨.
.,,¨.¨,,,¨                                          ¨,,,¨.¨,,.
,,,.¨¨,¨,.                                          .,¨,¨¨.,,,
¨¨.¨¨¨.,..                                          ..,.¨¨¨.¨¨
¨¨,¨,¨,.,¨                                          ¨,.,¨,¨,¨¨
,¨.,.¨,¨,.                                          .,¨,¨.,.¨,
..,.¨,¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨,¨.,..