¨¨..,¨,.~*                                          *~.,¨,..¨¨
,¨,¨¨,.-:*                                          *:-.,¨¨,¨,
,,¨..~~:§£                                          £§:~~..¨,,
,,..,~\*£&                                          &£*\~,..,,
,¨.-~;=££@                                          @££=;~-.¨,
,.^=;**£#@                 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 #@¶§*$=»,¨
.¨,»:=%£@# clearing where  you  at  first can  spot #@£%=:»,¨.
¨,¨-»†^£§@ the  house,  not  yet   really   in  the @§£^†»-¨,¨
,¨..-~^=¤¤ backyard.  from my pockets i retrieve my ¤¤=^~-..¨,
,,.,,:~*%£ radio  (now  dented)  but  also a  small £%*~:,,.,,
,¨..,.~-;% clay figure  i've  never seen before. it %;-~.,..¨,
,.,¨,..~~/ must have  been laying in  the wet dirt, /~~..,¨,.,
,.¨,,,,¨,- and  i  must've  picked it  up  with  my -,¨,,,,¨.,
..,,,¨¨,¨,             other belongings.            ,¨,¨¨,,,..
,¨.¨,,¨¨,,                                          ,,¨¨,,¨.¨,
,¨.¨.¨¨.¨. it's a statuette of a girl laying  naked .¨.¨¨.¨.¨,
,,.¨..¨..¨ on  her  stomach,   feet  in   the  air, ¨..¨..¨.,,
¨.¨,¨..,¨.   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   .¨,..¨,¨.¨
¨¨,.,.¨,.. freshly made, not yet  completely dried. ..,¨.,.,¨¨
¨¨.¨.,.¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨.,.¨.¨¨
.¨,.¨,,.., my mom  is  here now. i ask her for some ,..,,¨.,¨.
..,.¨¨¨,., particle  board  for it to dry  on,  but ,.,¨¨¨.,..
,,,..¨.,^» she   is   worried   and  wants   me  to »^,.¨..,,,
...,.,¨:«^              throw it away.              ^«:¨,.,...
,¨,.¨..~:†                                          †:~..¨.,¨,
,,,.¨,»=%&                                          &%=»,¨.,,,
.,¨,:»:*&¤                                          ¤&*:»:,¨,.
,,.,»*%*@#                                          #@*%*»,.,,
..,~*^$§##                                          ##§$^*~,..
,.~=%£@@##                                          ##@@£%=~.,