,¨..,.,-/%                                          %/-,.,..¨,
,,,,¨¨.:»:                                          :»:.¨¨,,,,
...¨,.,.,-                                          -,.,.,¨...
.,..,.,¨,-                                          -,¨,.,..,.
¨...,.¨..,                                          ,..¨.,...¨
¨,,,¨,,¨¨¨                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.              .¨,,¨,,,¨,
..¨.,,....                                          ....,,.¨..
,,.¨,.,¨.¨                                          ¨.¨,.,¨.,,
¨¨,.¨.,,.~                                          ~.,,.¨.,¨¨
,.¨.¨,¨¨,«                                          «,¨¨,¨.¨.,
¨,¨,¨,¨^«:                                          :«^¨,¨,¨,¨
,¨¨,.¨.=*%                                          %*=.¨.,¨¨,