¨,¨,¨..,..                                          ..,..¨,¨,¨
¨.,,¨,¨¨¨.                                          .¨¨¨,¨,,.¨
,,¨.¨¨¨..,                                          ,..¨¨¨.¨,,
¨.,.¨..¨~~                                          ~~¨..¨.,.¨
,,,.¨¨¨,»/                                          /»,¨¨¨.,,,
¨,.,¨¨:~:*                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.              ,,¨,,¨,,¨¨
,¨,,¨.,,.,                                          ,.,,.¨,,¨,
,¨.,..,,.^                                          ^.,,..,.¨,
¨,¨.¨.,¨^«                                          «^¨,.¨.¨,¨
..¨¨,¨.:«=                                          =«:.¨,¨¨..
¨¨,¨¨,,=:^                                          ^:=,,¨¨,¨¨
,,¨,¨,-\=£                                          £=\-,¨,¨,,