,,=*%$£@@#                                          #@@£$%*=,,
.,-~=*$§¶#                                          #¶§$*=~-,.
,..,«*=§#¶                                          ¶#§=*«,..,
.,.¨,==%££                                          ££%==,¨.,.
¨,.¨,~«;^£                                          £^;«~,¨.,¨
¨.,,.¨^»\$                 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 £$/«~¨,¨..
,,¨,¨.~=:% on  her   stomach,   feet  in  the  air, %:=~.¨,¨,,
¨.,,.¨.:«†   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   †«:.¨.,,.¨
¨¨,.¨.,,^~ freshly  made, not yet completely dried. ~^,,.¨.,¨¨
,¨¨.,.¨,.~                                          ~.,¨.,.¨¨,
¨,.,,¨.¨.. my  mom  is here now. i ask her for some ..¨.¨,,.,¨
.¨,.,.¨¨,. particle  board for it to  dry  on,  but .,¨¨.,.,¨.
.¨,..,.,¨. she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to .¨,.,..,¨.
,,,,,,.,,-              throw it away.              -,,.,,,,,,
¨.¨,,¨¨..»                                          »..¨¨,,¨.¨
,.¨,,,.:-†                                          †-:.,,,¨.,
,..¨..,~=^                                          ^=~,..¨..,
,,,¨.,-\%§                                          §%\-,.¨,,,
,.,,-~=%*@                                          @*%=~-,,.,
¨¨.,~†$%##                                          ##%$†~,.¨¨