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