.¨¨.,.»^§@                                          @§^».,.¨¨.
,.¨¨,.,=**                                          **=,.,¨¨.,
,,,,,.,,~;                                          ;~,,.,,,,,
,.¨.¨,¨¨:=                                          =:¨¨,¨.¨.,
.¨,,,.¨¨¨-                                          -¨¨¨.,,,¨.
,.,¨¨¨¨,,¨                 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.              .,,¨..,.,,
¨¨.,¨,..¨¨                                          ¨¨..,¨,.¨¨
,,,,,¨,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,¨,,,,,
¨,,,.¨.¨¨,                                          ,¨¨.¨.,,,¨
¨¨¨,,,¨¨,,                                          ,,¨¨,,,¨¨¨
,,,¨.¨¨.-~                                          ~-.¨¨.¨,,,
¨...,¨.-«=                                          =«-.¨,...¨