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