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