.,.¨..~^†$                                          $†^~..¨.,.
¨,¨,~~=*££                                          ££*=~~,¨,¨
.¨¨-~:†£#£                                          £#£†:~-¨¨.
¨¨-~;^*¤£#                                          #£¤*^;~-¨¨
¨-~†*%§£##                                          ##£§%*†~-¨
¨,-»:$£&##                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 $†;~-.,.¨¨
¨.¨.¨,:»=* backyard. from my  pockets i retrieve my *=»:,¨.¨.¨
,,,..¨..»* radio  (now  dented) but  also  a  small *»..¨..,,,
.¨¨.,.,¨,- clay figure  i've never seen before.  it -,¨,.,.¨¨.
..¨..,¨¨¨^ must have been  laying in the  wet dirt, ^¨¨¨,..¨..
,,.¨,.,,,, and  i  must've  picked it  up  with  my ,,,,.,¨.,,
¨.¨..¨..¨,             other belongings.            ,¨..¨..¨.¨
,.,¨¨¨.,,.                                          .,,.¨¨¨,.,
¨.,,¨.,.,¨ it's a statuette of a girl laying  naked ¨,.,.¨,,.¨
¨,¨¨.¨.,¨. on   her   stomach,  feet  in  the  air, .¨,.¨.¨¨,¨
¨,,.¨.,¨.,   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ,.¨,.¨.,,¨
,.,¨,,,,,, freshly made,  not yet completely dried. ,,,,,,¨,.,
¨,,,.,,,,-                                          -,,,,.,,,¨
,.,,¨,,¨-~ my mom is here now.  i ask her for  some ~-¨,,¨,,.,
.,¨,¨¨,~~\ particle  board for it  to dry  on,  but \~~,¨¨,¨,.
¨¨,¨,.:«=§ she   is   worried  and   wants   me  to §=«:.,¨,¨¨
¨.,.¨^~†*¤              throw it away.              ¤*†~^¨.,.¨
,.,¨~~**@¤                                          ¤@**~~¨,.,
.¨.~~†*@@#                                          #@@*†~~.¨.
¨,:=:^£¤@@                                          @@¤£^:=:,¨
¨,«*%@&@@#                                          #@@&@%*«,¨
..,==*¤£@@                                          @@£¤*==,..
¨,¨.~†$£#@                                          @#£$†~.¨,¨