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