..¨.,¨¨,~;                                          ;~,¨¨,.¨..
.,,..,.,.~                                          ~.,.,..,,.
.,¨¨,,¨.¨.                                          .¨.¨,,¨¨,.
.¨¨.¨¨¨,,¨                                          ¨,,¨¨¨.¨¨.
.,..¨.¨,,.                                          .,,¨.¨..,.
,,,,.¨.¨,,                 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.              ##$*†~~,¨,
.¨:~:^¤@@#                                          #@@¤^:~:¨.
¨^~^§@@@##                                          ##@@@§^~^¨
.,~»^=£@@#                                          #@@£=^»~,.
¨¨¨~~\*££#                                          #££*\~~¨¨¨
.,¨¨.=\=¤#                                          #¤=\=.¨¨,.
,,,..-=^*¤                                          ¤*^=-..,,,