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