¨,-=*&§¶##                                          ##¶§&*=-,¨
¨¨,«\*@§£@                                          @£§@*\«,¨¨
¨,.:~:*¤&@                                          @&¤*:~:.,¨
,,..:~=*£¤                                          ¤£*=~:..,,
¨..,.,==%$                                          $%==,.,..¨
..,,,¨.»/*                statuette                 */».¨,,,..
¨,,.¨,,:-\                                          \-:,,¨.,,¨
.,.,¨.,,,» &££%**£¤$££¤$%@£»~=«-«-«&$@@@$§$¤&£§%$@& »,,,.¨,.,.
,,..,,.,.-                @$¤¤£$£¤%                 -.,.,,..,,
.¨.,,,,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,,,,.¨.
¨.,,.,,,,. forests around my childhood  home. thick .,,,,.,,.¨
¨¨,¨¨¨.¨,. pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and .,¨.¨¨¨,¨¨
,.,.,¨.¨.,       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ,.¨.¨,.,.,
¨.¨.,.,¨¨. underneath, sniffing at  the  ground. it .¨¨,.,.¨.¨
¨...¨,¨.¨. is dark  and  moist,  the canopy  having .¨.¨,¨...¨
.,¨.¨,,¨¨, already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ,¨¨,,¨.¨,.
..¨.,¨.¨¨^                                          ^¨¨.¨,.¨..
.,.¨.,¨.^» there's  a river passing  by, from  east »^.¨,.¨.,.
,,..,..-»\ to  west, getting broader and deeper and \»-..,..,,
,.,,¨¨.»:% slower as  it goes. equisetum  grow just %:».¨¨,,.,
¨,,,,.»\$£ where  the   pine  hands  start  to  let £$\».,,,,¨
..¨¨-«;*§¤ 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.              #@¶@%%/«.¨
,¨^«=§%¤@#                                          #@¤%§=«^¨,
.¨¨,=^†$£#                                          #£$†^=,¨¨.
¨¨,,,=/§&@                                          @&§/=,,,¨¨
,,¨¨.,»:%%                                          %%:»,.¨¨,,
,¨,,¨,^»**                                          **»^,¨,,¨,
¨.¨¨,..-«/                                          /«-..,¨¨.¨