,.¨-~*†$§#                                          #§$†*~-¨.,
.¨-~\†¤§##                                          ##§¤†\~-¨.
,:=:**¤¶##                                          ##¶¤**:=:,
.¨.»^†%£##                                          ##£%†^».¨.
,.¨,=†*£&#                                          #&£*†=,¨.,
,¨.¨,=†%&£                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. $†«^.,¨¨..
.¨¨.¨.,,»*                                          *»,,.¨.¨¨.
¨,¨,¨..,^« my mom is here  now. i ask her for  some «^,..¨,¨,¨
,.¨¨,¨¨¨.. particle  board  for  it to  dry on, but ..¨¨¨,¨¨.,
..,.,¨,.,¨ she  is   worried   and  wants   me   to ¨,.,¨,.,..
,¨¨....¨,.              throw it away.              .,¨....¨¨,
,¨¨..¨,¨,,                                          ,,¨,¨..¨¨,
¨¨..¨,...~                                          ~...,¨..¨¨
,¨,,¨.¨¨~~                                          ~~¨¨.¨,,¨,
,¨¨...¨~«/                                          /«~¨...¨¨,
,,.¨..,«=$                                          $=«,..¨.,,
.¨,.,~~;*%                                          %*;~~,.,¨.