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