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