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