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