.,¨..¨¨,..                                          ..,¨¨..¨,.
¨¨,¨,,,,,¨                                          ¨,,,,,¨,¨¨
¨,,.,,¨¨.¨                                          ¨.¨¨,,.,,¨
,..¨¨¨,¨.-                                          -.¨,¨¨¨..,
.,,..¨..,~                                          ~,..¨..,,.
¨¨¨.,,¨,«†                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 #£&$*^~,..
¨:-=*£@¶## she  is  worried   and   wants   me   to ##¶@£*=-:¨
¨,,=\†%£@#              throw it away.              #@£%†\=,,¨
.,¨^-=%$@#                                          #@$%=-^¨,.
¨,..:~=%&§                                          §&%=~:..,¨
.,.,¨.«:%£                                          £%:«.¨,.,.
.¨¨¨.,^=\§                                          §\=^,.¨¨¨.
.,¨.,..,=^                                          ^=,..,.¨,.
.¨¨...¨¨,~                                          ~,¨¨...¨¨.