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