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