,.,.¨,~:*§                                          §*:~,¨.,.,
,¨....:~†*                                          *†~:....¨,
,,,..¨,,~†                                          †~,,¨..,,,
..¨,¨,¨,~«                                          «~,¨,¨,¨..
¨.,¨.¨,,,,                                          ,,,,¨.¨,.¨
.,.,..¨,,.                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 @&§$/»,.¨.
,.,.-~†*£# clay  figure i've  never seen before. it #£*†~-.,.,
¨..¨.,~=%% must  have been laying in the wet  dirt, %%=~,.¨..¨
...¨,.~~== and  i  must've  picked  it up  with  my ==~~.,¨...
¨..¨,..~»;            other belongings.             ;»~..,¨..¨
,¨,.¨.¨¨:»                                          »:¨¨.¨.,¨,
¨..,..¨,,. it's  a statuette of a girl laying naked .,,¨..,..¨
.,¨¨¨.,,¨, on  her  stomach,  feet   in  the   air, ,¨,,.¨¨¨,.
.¨,¨.,¨.,,   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ,,.¨,.¨,¨.
.,,¨¨.¨¨¨¨ freshly made, not yet completely  dried. ¨¨¨¨.¨¨,,.
¨.,.,,,...                                          ...,,,.,.¨
¨¨¨,.,..-~ my mom is here  now. i  ask her for some ~-..,.,¨¨¨
¨,,¨...--\ particle board  for it  to dry  on,  but \--...¨,,¨
¨.¨.,,,«== she   is  worried   and  wants   me   to ==«,,,.¨.¨
,¨,¨.-«;=%              throw it away.              %=;«-.¨,¨,
¨,..,~/*$¤                                          ¤$*/~,..,¨
,¨¨-«=$¤@#                                          #@¤$=«-¨¨,
..^«;%&£¶#                                          #¶£&%;«^..
.^»:*$&###                                          ###&$*:»^.
.¨,-=%&§£#                                          #£§&%=-,¨.
,,¨,=:§$¤@                                          @¤$§:=,¨,,