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