,¨¨,¨.¨.~;                                          ;~.¨.¨,¨¨,
.,,¨¨..¨.=                                          =.¨..¨¨,,.
.¨,¨,¨,,,,                                          ,,,,¨,¨,¨.
.,.,,.¨,¨.                                          .¨,¨.,,.,.
.¨¨.¨.,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,.¨.¨¨.
.,¨¨..¨¨,.                 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.              ¨.,..¨.,,,
,,,..,,¨,,                                          ,,¨,,..,,,
..,..¨¨¨.~                                          ~.¨¨¨..,..
.,.,,¨...~                                          ~...¨,,.,.
¨¨,,,,,.-=                                          =-.,,,,,¨¨
¨.,..,-~*=                                          =*~-,..,.¨
¨¨¨,¨.~:=§                                          §=:~.¨,¨¨¨