,,,¨,,.=*^                                          ^*=.,,¨,,,
.¨...,~;*£                                          £*;~,...¨.
.,¨.:»†§$£                                          £$§†»:.¨,.
¨¨.,-\†*##                                          ##*†\-,.¨¨
.,^»*^%¤@#                                          #@¤%^*»^,.
¨,~;=$#£##                 statuette                ##£#$=;~,¨
,¨:»†%£@##                                          ##@£%†»:¨,
..,^«†*$§# %$*&*£%£*%$@$*%£-~=~-=~~£¤£$*%%&%%%$%*%£ #§$*†«^,..
¨¨.,:«;§%@                 %¤$%&@¤££                @%§;«:,.¨¨
¨..¨,-»;$$                                          $$;»-,¨..¨
¨¨...,:=\% 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.            §$%^~..¨..
,¨.¨.^~**£                                          £**~^.¨.¨,
....,¨,~;§ it's  a statuette of a girl laying naked §;~,¨,....
,,,..,,:«/ on  her  stomach,   feet  in  the   air, /«:,,..,,,
.¨¨¨.¨,.^~   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ~^.,¨.¨¨¨.
,¨,¨.¨,.¨^ freshly  made, not yet completely dried. ^¨.,¨.¨,¨,
,,¨.,,.¨,¨                                          ¨,¨.,,.¨,,
,¨¨,...,.. my mom  is here now.  i ask her for some ..,...,¨¨,
.,¨,.¨,,-« particle  board  for it  to dry  on, but «-,,¨.,¨,.
,..,¨¨¨~»\ she   is  worried   and   wants   me  to \»~¨¨¨,..,
,..,,,,-\=              throw it away.              =\-,,,,..,
,..,¨-~;$¤                                          ¤$;~-¨,..,
...,--/*£§                                          §£*/--,...
¨.,,~=%%§£                                          £§%%=~,,.¨
¨,--†§@§@#                                          #@§@§†--,¨
¨,~:†§@£##                                          ##£@§†:~,¨
,.:»;%£###                                          ###£%;»:.,