,¨.,=/*%@@                                          @@%*/=,.¨,
..~~:†¤@##                                          ##@¤†:~~..
¨,~:†&£###                                          ###£&†:~,¨
¨.-~*$£@##                                          ##@£$*~-.¨
,..,«/*@#@                                          @#@*/«,..,
,¨,,,=/*$£                statuette                 £$*/=,,,¨,
.¨.¨¨.«=**                                          **=«.¨¨.¨.
.,,,.,~«^^ &£*£@@¤$%¤££@£$£=«-~--~=£$&@%£&$$%%$§$@¤ ^^«~,.,,,.
¨,,,.,,:~/                §*£%%¤@$*                 /~:,,.,,,¨
,¨,.....,-                                          -,.....,¨,
..¨¨¨,,,¨, forests around my childhood home.  thick ,¨,,,¨¨¨..
,.,¨.¨,¨,, pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and ,,¨,¨.¨,.,
.¨¨,.,¨¨¨.      forgotten. wild boars roaming       .¨¨¨,.,¨¨.
,,,,,,¨¨,¨ underneath,  sniffing at  the ground. it ¨,¨¨,,,,,,
.¨¨¨¨,..., is  dark  and moist,  the canopy  having ,...,¨¨¨¨.
¨.¨¨.¨..,. already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. .,..¨.¨¨.¨
.,,.¨..,,,                                          ,,,..¨.,,.
¨.,.¨.¨¨:» there's a  river passing  by,  from east »:¨¨.¨.,.¨
.¨,.¨.¨.«/ to west,  getting broader and deeper and /«.¨.¨.,¨.
,,,¨.¨~=;§ slower as it  goes. equisetum grow  just §;=~¨.¨,,,
.,.,¨,«^§¤ where  the  pine   hands  start  to  let ¤§^«,¨,.,.
¨¨¨,--;§*@ through  light, horsemint  on the  rocky @*§;--,¨¨¨
,¨.,-†$¤£@                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.              £%;~~,..¨,
,.¨,.¨-«=%                                          %=«-¨.,¨.,
..,.,¨.,~†                                          †~,.¨,.,..
.¨,,.¨.¨:=                                          =:¨.¨.,,¨.
,¨.....¨¨:                                          :¨¨.....¨,
,,¨,,¨..,,                                          ,,..¨,,¨,,
¨,¨.,,¨.¨,                                          ,¨.¨,,.¨,¨