¨.¨¨¨¨,¨.~                                          ~.¨,¨¨¨¨.¨
.,,,¨¨¨.¨^                                          ^¨.¨¨¨,,,.
,,,¨,,,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,,,¨,,,
..,,,,,¨,.                                          .,¨,,,,,..
¨..,¨¨¨.¨¨                                          ¨¨.¨¨¨,..¨
¨¨,¨,¨.¨¨,                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.              =~.¨..¨¨¨,
.¨.¨¨,.¨¨:                                          :¨¨.,¨¨.¨.
,¨¨¨¨,,,,,                                          ,,,,,¨¨¨¨,
,¨,.¨¨..,,                                          ,,..¨¨.,¨,
¨,.¨..,,..                                          ..,,..¨.,¨
¨¨,...,¨..                                          ..¨,...,¨¨
.,...¨,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,¨...,.