.,~-*=%###                                          ###%=*-~,.
.--/*$&@##                                          ##@&$*/--.
¨¨,»:*&#@#                                          #@#&*:»,¨¨
¨,.^«^§£¤@                                          @¤£§^«^.,¨
.¨,¨~-^%§#                                          #§%^-~¨,¨.
.,.¨,--:%@                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.              ¨.¨¨¨..,¨,
¨,.,¨,,.¨,                                          ,¨.,,¨,.,¨
¨.¨¨.,¨..«                                          «..¨,.¨¨.¨
¨.,¨¨.¨.=*                                          *=.¨.¨¨,.¨
¨..,.,-=/§                                          §/=-,.,..¨
,,.¨.:»/*&                                          &*/»:.¨.,,
,,,,^=:**@                                          @**:=^,,,,