,..,-;†$£#                                          #£$†;-,..,
..¨¨,==%¤¤                                          ¤¤%==,¨¨..
¨,¨,,^=:*%                                          %*:=^,,¨,¨
.¨¨.¨¨~-†$                                          $†-~¨¨.¨¨.
,¨¨.¨¨.,~^                                          ^~,.¨¨.¨¨,
,,,¨,¨.,~-                 statuette                -~,.¨,¨,,,
,,¨,¨.,.¨.                                          .¨.,.¨,¨,,
....,,¨,,¨ §%£%%$&$§%&@$$*¤«=-»»~-«$&¤££$%@&&¤$§$£§ ¨,,¨,,....
¨.¨¨.¨.¨.¨                 %%&$%£££*                ¨.¨.¨.¨¨.¨
,,,,,,,.¨,                                          ,¨.,,,,,,,
¨¨..¨,¨..- forests  around my childhood home. thick -..¨,¨..¨¨
¨,,.¨..,^~ pine  arcades  that  were   planted  and ~^,..¨.,,¨
¨¨..,¨¨^~;       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ;~^¨¨,..¨¨
¨,¨..,,=†† underneath,  sniffing at the  ground. it ††=,,..¨,¨
,,¨,,:~/§* is dark and  moist,  the  canopy  having *§/~:,,¨,,
,.¨¨,»/%%¤ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ¤%%/»,¨¨.,
,,,^»\=$§#                                          #§$=\»^,,,
...-/^¤&@# there's a river passing  by,  from  east #@&¤^/-...
,.«==$@### 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, #£$=;«:¨¨¨
,,,.,-†%£§ and i  must've  picked  it  up  with  my §£%†-,.,,,
,¨,,,-»*%£             other belongings.            £%*»-,,,¨,
¨¨¨,.,:«\%                                          %\«:,.,¨¨¨
,¨.¨¨¨.:=† it's a statuette of a girl laying  naked †=:.¨¨¨.¨,
....¨¨.¨,« on  her   stomach,   feet  in  the  air, «,¨.¨¨....
,..,¨.,,¨-   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   -¨,,.¨,..,
,,.,,¨,... freshly  made, not yet completely dried. ...,¨,,.,,
,¨.¨,,.,..                                          ..,.,,¨.¨,
,.¨,¨.¨¨¨¨ my mom is here now.  i ask her  for some ¨¨¨¨.¨,¨.,
,,..,¨,¨¨- particle board for  it to  dry  on,  but -¨¨,¨,..,,
¨....¨.,~= she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to =~,.¨....¨
,¨,¨..¨,«;              throw it away.              ;«,¨..¨,¨,
,,,¨,¨-=^$                                          $^=-¨,¨,,,
¨,,.¨~~;†£                                          £†;~~¨.,,¨
.,.,:-/*$£                                          £$*/-:,.,.
...,~:%¤@#                                          #@¤%:~,...
.¨~~\†*§@#                                          #@§*†\~~¨.
,,~†%*¤###                                          ###¤*%†~,,