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