,.¨,¨¨,~/=                                          =/~,¨¨,¨.,
¨¨.¨.¨,^~;                                          ;~^,¨.¨.¨¨
.,,¨¨..,-»                                          »-,..¨¨,,.
.¨¨,¨,.,¨^                                          ^¨,.,¨,¨¨.
¨,,,¨¨..¨.                                          .¨..¨¨,,,¨
,¨,¨,,¨,..                 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.              §^~,,¨¨,..
¨,.¨¨¨,:~:                                          :~:,¨¨¨.,¨
,.¨¨¨¨¨.--                                          --.¨¨¨¨¨.,
,¨,¨,.¨¨,^                                          ^,¨¨.,¨,¨,
,...,¨.,,¨                                          ¨,,.¨,...,
....,,.,,,                                          ,,,.,,....
.¨.¨¨,¨,,.                                          .,,¨,¨¨.¨.