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