¨¨¨..^^£¤@                                          @¤£^^..¨¨¨
..,,¨^†*¤#                                          #¤*†^¨,,..
,.¨...-/*£                                          £*/-...¨.,
¨,...,,.\%                                          %\.,,...,¨
,..,..¨¨,\                                          \,¨¨..,..,
,¨,.¨..,.,                 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.              ¨,.¨.¨¨,¨¨
¨.,.¨¨.,,.                                          .,,.¨¨.,.¨
¨¨¨,¨.¨¨,,                                          ,,¨¨.¨,¨¨¨
,¨..¨,¨,¨.                                          .¨,¨,¨..¨,
....¨.¨¨,,                                          ,,¨¨.¨....
¨¨,,,..¨,,                                          ,,¨..,,,¨¨
,.,,¨,.¨,/                                          /,¨.,¨,,.,