.¨.¨.¨.¨.¨                                          ¨.¨.¨.¨.¨.
,,¨¨,¨,¨.,                                          ,.¨,¨,¨¨,,
¨.,..,¨...                                          ...¨,..,.¨
,.¨,,.,,,,                                          ,,,,.,,¨.,
,¨,,¨..¨.,                                          ,.¨..¨,,¨,
.,,,,.,¨,.                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.              ..,¨.,.¨..
,,¨¨..,,.,                                          ,.,,..¨¨,,
.,¨,¨,¨,..                                          ..,¨,¨,¨,.
¨¨.¨¨¨¨,¨¨                                          ¨¨,¨¨¨¨.¨¨
,,.,...,,.                                          .,,...,.,,
,.¨¨.,,,.,                                          ,.,,,.¨¨.,
...,¨¨¨¨.=                                          =.¨¨¨¨,...