¨,..,~=^&@                                          @&^=~,..,¨
,,,,,.»†=£                                          £=†».,,,,,
¨,.,,,~«^†                                          †^«~,,,.,¨
.¨¨¨,¨¨-«=                                          =«-¨¨,¨¨¨.
¨¨..,..¨:-                                          -:¨..,..¨¨
,,,,¨,.:=;                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 %$;~..¨¨¨¨
,,,,...«^†              throw it away.              †^«...,,,,
¨¨,,¨¨,~-^                                          ^-~,¨¨,,¨¨
.,.¨¨¨¨.-«                                          «-.¨¨¨¨.,.
..,.¨,.-»:                                          :»-.,¨.,..
,¨.¨,..=*$                                          $*=..,¨.¨,
¨,..¨^~^*%                                          %*^~^¨..,¨
,...^»:%*@                                          @*%:»^...,