¨¨.,,,«^*%                                          %*^«,,,.¨¨
,,.,.~*†%¤                                          ¤%†*~.,.,,
¨,¨,~^†$§¶                                          ¶§$†^~,¨,¨
,.^~;=&¤£#                                          #£¤&=;~^.,
,,«††@#£@#                                          #@£#@††«,,
.,--\^££##                 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.              ,.,.,..,.¨
,,..,,,¨,.                                          .,¨,,,..,,
¨,.,,,.¨,¨                                          ¨,¨.,,,.,¨
¨¨¨¨..¨¨¨.                                          .¨¨¨..¨¨¨¨
.,.,¨,¨¨¨^                                          ^¨¨¨,¨,.,.
¨¨¨,.,,.^»                                          »^.,,.,¨¨¨
¨¨,¨¨..-~/                                          /~-..¨¨,¨¨