¨..,¨~~:%£                                          £%:~~¨,..¨
.¨.,¨¨:«†§                                          §†«:¨¨,.¨.
,,.,¨,,-=^                                          ^=-,,¨,.,,
.,,¨,.,¨~=                                          =~¨,.,¨,,.
.,...¨,..:                                          :..,¨...,.
,....¨¨¨..                 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, %$=«,.....
...¨.¨-~^§ and  i must've  picked  it  up  with  my §^~-¨.¨...
¨,¨¨,¨¨,~^            other belongings.             ^~,¨¨,¨¨,¨
,¨.¨,.,.,~                                          ~,.,.,¨.¨,
.,.,.,¨¨,: it's a statuette of  a girl laying naked :,¨¨,.,.,.
,¨,..¨¨..¨ on  her   stomach,  feet  in   the  air, ¨..¨¨..,¨,
,.¨...,.¨,   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ,¨.,...¨.,
¨..¨¨.¨.,¨ freshly  made, not yet completely dried. ¨,.¨.¨¨..¨
,.,,.¨,..,                                          ,..,¨.,,.,
......¨,~» my mom  is here now. i ask her  for some »~,¨......
,,..,.,~«† particle  board for it  to dry  on,  but †«~,.,..,,
.¨,,¨,,»=* she   is   worried  and   wants  me   to *=»,,¨,,¨.
¨,,¨,-~\§%              throw it away.              %§\~-,¨,,¨
.¨.¨^=†$£@                                          @£$†=^¨.¨.
,,,~»*%£@¶                                          ¶@£%*»~,,,
¨.,»†%@&@#                                          #@&@%†»,.¨
¨~~;*@#@@#                                          #@@#@*;~~¨
...~\*£§#@                                          @#§£*\~...
¨¨.~~^=@@£                                          £@@=^~~.¨¨