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