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