,¨¨,,.¨,-^                                          ^-,¨.,,¨¨,
.¨,,,,^~^=                                          =^~^,,,,¨.
.¨¨.¨,»:*&                                          &*:»,¨.¨¨.
,,,¨-»\*##                                          ##*\»-¨,,,
¨.,.«=$§¶#                                          #¶§$=«.,.¨
¨..~\†&###                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   &$/~:,¨¨¨,
¨..¨..:»†* freshly made, not yet  completely dried. *†»:..¨..¨
.,¨¨¨¨¨~=^                                          ^=~¨¨¨¨¨,.
.¨¨,¨¨¨..« my mom is  here now. i ask  her for some «..¨¨¨,¨¨.
.,,¨.¨,~-/ particle board  for  it to  dry  on, but /-~,¨.¨,,.
¨¨¨,¨,^-=§ she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to §=-^,¨,¨¨¨
,...¨:-=%#              throw it away.              #%=-:¨...,
,¨¨¨:~†=§@                                          @§=†~:¨¨¨,
¨.¨:»=*¤##                                          ##¤*=»:¨.¨
..,=††@@##                                          ##@@††=,..
,:~/*&@###                                          ###@&*/~:,
,..=;^#¶##                                          ##¶#^;=..,
.¨¨-~†$¤£@                                          @£¤$†~-¨¨.