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