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