...¨¨:«\†@                                          @†\«:¨¨...
¨,¨,~-\§¤£                                          £¤§\-~,¨,¨
.,,,=^§£§@                                          @§£§^=,,,.
¨.^«==$££@                                          @££$==«^.¨
,^~;**££##                                          ##££**;~^,
¨¨.»;=@@#@                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.              -¨,.,,.,,,
¨...¨¨...¨                                          ¨...¨¨...¨
,,.,.¨.,,,                                          ,,,.¨.,.,,
.,.¨¨¨.¨,,                                          ,,¨.¨¨¨.,.
¨.¨.¨..¨.,                                          ,.¨..¨.¨.¨
¨..,,.,.^=                                          =^.,.,,..¨
..,,¨¨.,=;                                          ;=,.¨¨,,..