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