...,¨^-;$£                                          £$;-^¨,...
¨¨.,.,,=**                                          **=,,.,.¨¨
..¨,¨,,~«^                                          ^«~,,¨,¨..
¨,.¨,.¨.-=                                          =-.¨.,¨.,¨
,¨,..¨¨.¨.                                          .¨.¨¨..,¨,
.,.,,,...¨                 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.              ,¨,.,,...¨
¨,,.¨¨.¨,,                                          ,,¨.¨¨.,,¨
,¨.,..¨...                                          ...¨..,.¨,
¨..¨,.,,,.                                          .,,,.,¨..¨
.¨.¨,.,¨.~                                          ~.¨,.,¨.¨.
,..,.¨.¨,»                                          »,¨.¨.,..,
.¨,¨¨.,,~;                                          ;~,,.¨¨,¨.