¨¨,..,¨,¨-                                          -¨,¨,..,¨¨
.¨.,..¨,..                                          ..,¨..,.¨.
¨,.,¨,.¨..                                          ..¨.,¨,.,¨
,,,,¨¨.¨¨.                                          .¨¨.¨¨,,,,
,¨,,.¨¨,,.                                          .,,¨¨.,,¨,
.¨,,¨.,...                 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.            $§†~,¨¨,.¨
¨..,,.^«/*                                          */«^.,,..¨
¨,¨,,,.--= it's a  statuette of a girl laying naked =--.,,,¨,¨
.¨....,¨:« on  her   stomach,   feet  in  the  air, «:¨,....¨.
.,,,¨,¨.¨,   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ,¨.¨,¨,,,.
.¨,.¨¨¨¨,. freshly  made, not yet completely dried. .,¨¨¨¨.,¨.
¨¨,,..¨¨¨,                                          ,¨¨¨..,,¨¨
¨,,¨.,¨,¨. my mom is  here now. i ask her  for some .¨,¨,.¨,,¨
,¨.,¨..¨.¨ particle board for it  to  dry  on,  but ¨.¨..¨,.¨,
¨¨,.¨,,¨,. she   is   worried  and   wants   me  to .,¨,,¨.,¨¨
,¨¨..¨..¨.              throw it away.              .¨..¨..¨¨,
,¨,.,.,.--                                          --.,.,.,¨,
..,¨...^»=                                          =»^...¨,..
,¨,¨,.^«;§                                          §;«^.,¨,¨,
.,,,¨:-*§*                                          *§*-:¨,,,.
.¨.¨^=*%%£                                          £%%*=^¨.¨.
¨¨.,~\*$¤#                                          #¤$*\~,.¨¨