..^^=£@@##                                          ##@@£=^^..
..,,^=§§@@                                          @@§§=^,,..
,¨¨,^=*$¤£                                          £¤$*=^,¨¨,
.,¨¨.,:^*§                                          §*^:,.¨¨,.
¨¨...,::=*                                          *=::,...¨¨
.¨.,,.,,†*                 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.              ###§£%\:.,
¨¨¨,/*$@##                                          ##@$*/,¨¨¨
,¨¨.,=^@¤#                                          #¤@^=,.¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨,;†¤¤                                          ¤¤†;,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,.,.,:;=£                                          £=;:,.,.,¨
.¨,¨,¨¨,=^                                          ^=,¨¨,¨,¨.
,¨¨,.,.^%£                                          £%^.,.,¨¨,