,¨,.¨..¨,,                                          ,,¨..¨.,¨,
¨.,¨,,.,,,                                          ,,,.,,¨,.¨
¨.¨¨¨,¨..,                                          ,..¨,¨¨¨.¨
¨.,...,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,...,.¨
.,,.¨¨,..¨                                          ¨..,¨¨.,,.
¨...,¨..¨.                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.              *^\-^,.¨,,
,¨,¨..--;^                                          ^;--..¨,¨,
,¨¨,¨,,.~†                                          †~.,,¨,¨¨,
...¨,,¨¨,=                                          =,¨¨,,¨...
,..,,.,¨,,                                          ,,¨,.,,..,
...,.,...,                                          ,...,.,...
¨,,¨¨,.¨¨,                                          ,¨¨.,¨¨,,¨