.¨¨..,,,-»                                          »-,,,..¨¨.
,¨.¨,¨¨:~^                                          ^~:¨¨,¨.¨,
,,,¨,,,-\%                                          %\-,,,¨,,,
¨,¨.,^»=$$                                          $$=»^,.¨,¨
,...-»:*%¶                                          ¶%*:»-...,
,.,.«†**£#                 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   $;=^.,,¨.,
¨,¨¨..¨~-\ freshly made, not yet  completely dried. \-~¨..¨¨,¨
..,,¨¨¨.:~                                          ~:.¨¨¨,,..
.,,..,..., my mom is here now. i ask her  for  some ,...,..,,.
.¨.,.¨,.¨. particle board  for  it to dry  on,  but .¨.,¨.,.¨.
,.¨.,,,,.: she  is  worried   and   wants   me   to :.,,,,.¨.,
¨.¨.¨...,~              throw it away.              ~,...¨.¨.¨
,¨..¨,.~~=                                          =~~.,¨..¨,
¨¨¨¨¨,.~:*                                          *:~.,¨¨¨¨¨
,¨,.¨~»\^$                                          $^\»~¨.,¨,
,...^»;=£@                                          @£=;»^...,
¨.,~«†^%@@                                          @@%^†«~,.¨
¨,:=††&###                                          ###&††=:,¨