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