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