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