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