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