..,..,.:~/                                          /~:.,..,..
,..,,.¨¨,~                                          ~,¨¨.,,..,
¨¨¨..,¨,.:                                          :.,¨,..¨¨¨
.¨¨¨,¨,¨,.                                          .,¨,¨,¨¨¨.
,.....¨¨¨.                                          .¨¨¨.....,
,.¨,,,.¨¨,                 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 ##¤$§*«,,,
¨~»^%%§###              throw it away.              ###§%%^»~¨
,¨,=:§££##                                          ##££§:=,¨,
,¨,,-/*%§#                                          #§%*/-,,¨,
.,¨¨:»:†$@                                          @$†:»:¨¨,.
,.,.¨:»;%£                                          £%;»:¨.,.,
¨.,¨¨.,-†%                                          %†-,.¨¨,.¨
...,,¨,,«*                                          *«,,¨,,...