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