~.,,,,...,                                          ,...,,,,.~
..¨¨,,...¨                                          ¨...,,¨¨..
.¨¨.,,,,..                                          ..,,,,.¨¨.
,.¨¨,,¨.¨.                                          .¨.¨,,¨¨.,
¨,,.....,.                                          .,.....,,¨
,¨¨,¨¨..,,                 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.              ,.-~^†£@@#
@£%††»,,,.                                          .,,,»††%£@
£$*:~~....                                          ....~~:*$£
@$/-:¨..,¨                                          ¨,..¨:-/$@
*=»^,¨,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,¨,^»=*
/»^,¨.¨¨.,                                          ,.¨¨.¨,^»/
-:..,¨,...                                          ...,¨,..:-