...,,,,«\†                                          †\«,,,,...
.¨,.¨^»/^£                                          £^/»^¨.,¨.
,¨¨¨.«=%£#                                          #£%=«.¨¨¨,
,.¨:~^*@£#                                          #£@*^~:¨.,
,.~~;^*§@@                                          @@§*^;~~.,
¨^~/†%####                 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 $§/«^¨¨..,
,...¨,.»=§ particle board  for  it  to dry  on, but §=».,¨...,
,..¨¨.,~~* she  is   worried   and   wants   me  to *~~,.¨¨..,
,¨,,¨.~»;^              throw it away.              ^;»~.¨,,¨,
..,.¨~«==%                                          %==«~¨.,..
.,,,,~^^@@                                          @@^^~,,,,.
,¨.~=*%*££                                          ££*%*=~.¨,
.¨,==§%§##                                          ##§%§==,¨.
..-==$£@@#                                          #@@£$==-..
.¨~~†%¤@@#                                          #@@¤%†~~¨.