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