¨,¨...,,~/                                          /~,,...¨,¨
..¨....¨~-                                          -~¨....¨..
.,,.,,¨.,,                                          ,,.¨,,.,,.
,,¨.,,,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,,,.¨,,
¨,¨,¨.,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,.¨,¨,¨
,..¨¨.,¨,¨                 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.              ¨,..¨¨¨¨¨,
,.¨¨¨,.,¨,                                          ,¨,.,¨¨¨.,
...,,¨,,,.                                          .,,,¨,,...
¨.,.,¨.,:»                                          »:,.¨,.,.¨
,,,¨...~=^                                          ^=~...¨,,,
¨¨,,,¨^=:=                                          =:=^¨,,,¨¨
¨,.,.^~*^%                                          %^*~^.,.,¨