¨¨,,.¨,,,.                                          .,,,¨.,,¨¨
¨,¨¨,¨,¨,.                                          .,¨,¨,¨¨,¨
,.,¨¨¨¨.¨,                                          ,¨.¨¨¨¨,.,
,,.,..¨,.¨                                          ¨.,¨..,.,,
.¨.,,¨¨.¨.                                          .¨.¨¨,,.¨.
,,¨¨.,..-»                 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.              ###£&@\~,.
.,,~†@&¶##                                          ##¶&@†~,,.
.¨,~«:%&£#                                          #£&%:«~,¨.
¨¨¨,-~\££#                                          #££\~-,¨¨¨
¨,,.¨~~*£§                                          §£*~~¨.,,¨
.,,.,¨,~\%                                          %\~,¨,.,,.
¨¨¨.,,,.-:                                          :-.,,,.¨¨¨