¨.¨,¨..-«/                                          /«-..¨,¨.¨
¨.,¨¨..,,=                                          =,,..¨¨,.¨
,,,..,,^=;                                          ;=^,,..,,,
.¨¨¨...«:*                                          *:«...¨¨¨.
.¨.,,,~\*§                                          §*\~,,,.¨.
,.¨,,«^§¤@                 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, $%^»..¨¨¨.
¨,,¨--:§£¤ and  i  must've  picked  it up  with  my ¤£§:--¨,,¨
,..,~:**@@             other belongings.            @@**:~,..,
¨,,»==££##                                          ##££==»,,¨
¨,«\†&#### it's  a statuette of a girl laying naked ####&†\«,¨
,.~===§@## on  her  stomach,  feet  in   the   air, ##@§===~.,
¨.¨,»^^£§£   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   £§£^^»,¨.¨
,,¨¨^-\*¤¤ freshly made,  not yet completely dried. ¤¤*\-^¨¨,,
¨¨¨¨¨,»*$¤                                          ¤$*»,¨¨¨¨¨
.,¨,,¨:~;% my mom is here  now. i ask  her for some %;~:¨,,¨,.
¨¨,¨¨¨¨:»† particle  board  for  it to dry  on, but †»:¨¨¨¨,¨¨
¨..¨.,...~ she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to ~...,.¨..¨
.,¨.,¨,,»*              throw it away.              *»,,¨,.¨,.
.,¨,..~~\%                                          %\~~..,¨,.
¨..¨¨^~\*£                                          £*\~^¨¨..¨
,¨.¨,~^§*&                                          &*§^~,¨.¨,
¨..,»:^$¤@                                          @¤$^:»,..¨
,.:»^%£&@#                                          #@&£%^»:.,
¨:»/^§§@##                                          ##@§§^/»:¨