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