,..,¨,¨¨.~                                          ~.¨¨,¨,..,
,¨¨,..,¨:=                                          =:¨,..,¨¨,
¨¨,¨¨,,.~†                                          †~.,,¨¨,¨¨
,¨.,¨¨.~/*                                          */~.¨¨,.¨,
....,.~/=@                                          @=/~.,....
¨,,¨^~\†%@                 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.              ^.,,.¨.,,,
¨¨¨,¨,¨¨-~                                          ~-¨¨,¨,¨¨¨
¨..,¨.,--=                                          =--,.¨,..¨
.,,...:-^*                                          *^-:...,,.
,,¨.,,»:%*                                          *%:»,,.¨,,
,..¨^~/=$¤                                          ¤$=/~^¨..,
.,,-~*=*§¶                                          ¶§*=*~-,,.