..¨¨¨..~/$                                          $/~..¨¨¨..
,¨..,¨.~-^                                          ^-~.¨,..¨,
.,.¨¨.¨¨:-                                          -:¨¨.¨¨.,.
,¨.,¨,¨,,.                                          .,,¨,¨,.¨,
,¨,¨..¨¨.¨                                          ¨.¨¨..¨,¨,
.¨.¨.¨¨¨.,                statuette                 ,.¨¨¨.¨.¨.
...¨¨¨.,¨¨                                          ¨¨,.¨¨¨...
.¨¨.,¨.,¨¨ §£$%%£§£%*£$&$%&-~=~~--»&&&**£@*¤@¤$¤@$$ ¨¨,.¨,.¨¨.
,¨¨¨¨.¨,,.                @§$@%@&£%                 .,,¨.¨¨¨¨,
,,¨,,.¨.¨.                                          .¨.¨.,,¨,,
,¨.¨,..¨,¨ forests around  my childhood home. thick ¨,¨..,¨.¨,
,,....,,.- pine  arcades  that  were   planted  and -.,,....,,
¨¨.....¨:»      forgotten. wild boars roaming       »:¨.....¨¨
.¨,,,¨.:-† underneath, sniffing at  the ground.  it †-:.¨,,,¨.
¨¨¨.,.^~^§ is  dark and  moist, the  canopy  having §^~^.,.¨¨¨
¨,¨.¨^~\%¤ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ¤%\~^¨.¨,¨
,.¨,,»/†@£                                          £@†/»,,¨.,
.,.,~;†*&@ there's  a  river passing  by, from east @&*†;~,.,.
...~*^£§## to west, getting  broader and deeper and ##§£^*~...
¨~~=§£¤### slower as  it  goes. equisetum grow just ###¤£§=~~¨
¨.,~/†&£#@ where  the   pine  hands  start  to  let @#£&†/~,.¨
¨.,^«/^%&@ through  light,  horsemint on  the rocky @&%^/«^,.¨
,¨,.,~/=&£                river bed.                £&=/~,.,¨,
,..,,,-*§$                                          $§*-,,,..,
.¨,,¨¨.~\$                    ;                     $\~.¨¨,,¨.
,.¨¨..,~~/                                          /~~,..¨¨.,
,..¨..¨.-- the riverbanks reek  of  magic.  tonight --.¨..¨..,
,,¨.¨¨¨¨¨, they had been  a  swampworld with sylvan ,¨¨¨¨¨.¨,,
¨¨¨,¨,,¨¨. water,  stone rings  and  floating moss. .¨¨,,¨,¨¨¨
.¨,¨¨,..,, you  could've found  me wallowing around ,,..,¨¨,¨.
...,,¨.¨,. on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got .,¨.¨,,...
.¨¨..,,.,¨                 bitten.                  ¨,.,,..¨¨.
,¨,,.,¨¨.¨                                          ¨.¨¨,.,,¨,
.....,,,., but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid ,.,,,.....
,¨,,,.,¨,. ground, in shoulder-high  grass, with an .,¨,.,,,¨,
¨...¨,.,,: orange  tin  radio   and  a  translucent :,,.,¨...¨
¨....¨.¨:~      umbrella which i'm sitting on.      ~:¨.¨....¨
,,.,,¨.^«^                                          ^«^.¨,,.,,
,,.¨¨.^~^§                    \                     §^~^.¨¨.,,
¨,,¨¨.~*=§                                          §=*~.¨¨,,¨
¨,,,,~*%@§ somethings  moving  in  the  grass. it's §@%*~,,,,¨
,...»=§$## 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.              *:~,,¨,¨,.
..,....-~^                                          ^~-....,..
,,,,,¨.,,~                                          ~,,.¨,,,,,
¨¨.¨¨¨,..,                                          ,..,¨¨¨.¨¨
¨,.¨..¨,¨¨                                          ¨¨,¨..¨.,¨
,.¨¨.¨.,..                                          ..,.¨.¨¨.,
.,¨....,,¨                                          ¨,,....¨,.