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