¨.,¨,..,:«                                          «:,..,¨,.¨
..,,,,,¨,~                                          ~,¨,,,,,..
¨,,.¨¨.,,,                                          ,,,.¨¨.,,¨
¨¨.,¨¨,,¨.                                          .¨,,¨¨,.¨¨
.¨,,,¨.,.~                                          ~.,.¨,,,¨.
..,¨,.¨,«*                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.              =~¨,,,..,.
.,.¨,,..¨^                                          ^¨..,,¨.,.
...¨..¨¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨¨..¨...
,.¨.,¨.,,,                                          ,,,.¨,.¨.,
..,,,,¨.:-                                          -:.¨,,,,..
,,,,..,,«†                                          †«,,..,,,,
¨,.¨¨¨,~*=                                          =*~,¨¨¨.,¨