¨¨¨.¨,.,.:                                          :.,.,¨.¨¨¨
¨,¨.¨.¨¨¨.                                          .¨¨¨.¨.¨,¨
,¨,,,...¨.                                          .¨...,,,¨,
¨¨,¨¨¨.¨^«                                          «^¨.¨¨¨,¨¨
¨¨.¨..,:=†                                          †=:,..¨.¨¨
¨¨¨,,,.«§£                 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.              ,¨.,¨.¨¨,¨
.,¨¨¨¨,,.,                                          ,.,,¨¨¨¨,.
.,.¨,,.¨¨-                                          -¨¨.,,¨.,.
¨¨.¨¨...~~                                          ~~...¨¨.¨¨
,¨,.¨¨¨.~*                                          *~.¨¨¨.,¨,
¨.,¨¨.:~§£                                          £§~:.¨¨,.¨
¨,¨,.:~=*&                                          &*=~:.,¨,¨