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