,¨,,..~;^£                                          £^;~..,,¨,
,¨.,~«;§%&                                          &%§;«~,.¨,
,¨¨--†*£§@                                          @§£*†--¨¨,
¨.,«;^¤#@#                                          #@#¤^;«,.¨
,^~†$*£###                                          ###£*$†~^,
,,^«=§&§##                 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 ##££$*-^,.
¨:«/^£§### particle board for  it  to dry  on,  but ###§£^/«:¨
,..~*%*@## she  is   worried   and   wants   me  to ##@*%*~..,
.,.,~^§§¤@              throw it away.              @¤§§^~,.,.
,¨..-»:$@@                                          @@$:»-..¨,
¨.,,,~==†&                                          &†==~,,,.¨
,..,,¨,»=§                                          §=»,¨,,..,
¨¨¨¨.,.:-*                                          *-:.,.¨¨¨¨
.,.,¨,,,:~                                          ~:,,,¨,.,.
,¨,,¨,.,¨-                                          -¨,.,¨,,¨,