,,,.¨..~*†                                          †*~..¨.,,,
.,,,.,¨.~^                                          ^~.¨,.,,,.
..¨¨¨.¨¨:-                                          -:¨¨.¨¨¨..
¨.,..,.¨.:                                          :.¨.,..,.¨
,¨¨.¨.¨.¨¨                                          ¨¨.¨.¨.¨¨,
.,¨.,,¨,..                 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.              @£§$%/»^¨.
.:«\*&#¶##                                          ##¶#&*\«:.
¨.:~=%§¤##                                          ##¤§%=~:.¨
¨¨¨.«/*%£@                                          @£%*/«.¨¨¨
¨¨.¨,=/*@¤                                          ¤@*/=,¨.¨¨
,,,.,,=†$§                                          §$†=,,.,,,
,¨....^=†*                                          *†=^....¨,