¨^~*%£####                                          ####£%*~^¨
,¨~=\§*@##                                          ##@*§\=~¨,
¨.¨~-/%%@#                                          #@%%/-~¨.¨
,.¨.-~/^$&                                          &$^/~-.¨.,
,.¨,¨-~^*%                                          %*^~-¨,¨.,
¨¨¨..¨,~\$                 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.              ;-:¨.,,,,,
..¨,¨,,.-~                                          ~-.,,¨,¨..
..,.,.¨¨,^                                          ^,¨¨.,.,..
.¨¨,,¨,,,,                                          ,,,,¨,,¨¨.
.¨.,,¨.¨¨.                                          .¨¨.¨,,.¨.
,¨.,.,¨,¨¨                                          ¨¨,¨,.,.¨,
.¨¨,,.¨.¨.                                          .¨.¨.,,¨¨.