¨~~;§@####                                          ####@§;~~¨
..,~*=%£@#                                          #@£%=*~,..
..,,-:$$§#                                          #§$$:-,,..
.,¨¨,«\%%&                                          &%%\«,¨¨,.
,,¨,.~»:§§                                          §§:»~.,¨,,
...,..:»/†                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, ###£$*/=,.
..~~*%§£## and  i  must've  picked  it  up  with my ##£§%*~~..
..,-==%%§#            other belongings.             #§%%==-,..
,¨,,,»=†§&                                          &§†=»,,,¨,
......»;^% it's a statuette of a girl  laying naked %^;»......
,.¨.,,.~*= on  her  stomach,   feet  in   the  air, =*~.,,.¨.,
¨¨¨...,^«*   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   *«^,...¨¨¨
...¨,,.¨~~ freshly made,  not yet completely dried. ~~¨.,,¨...
.,¨¨¨¨.,,,                                          ,,,.¨¨¨¨,.
,.¨¨¨.,,¨. my mom is  here now. i  ask her for some .¨,,.¨¨¨.,
,¨..,,,.,, particle  board  for  it to dry  on, but ,,.,,,..¨,
,.¨..¨,.¨. she  is   worried  and   wants   me   to .¨.,¨..¨.,
,,,¨...¨.,              throw it away.              ,.¨...¨,,,
¨,¨.¨¨.¨,~                                          ~,¨.¨¨.¨,¨
¨.,.,¨..-=                                          =-..¨,.,.¨
¨,,¨¨¨.-/$                                          $/-.¨¨¨,,¨
¨¨¨.¨,~/%*                                          *%/~,¨.¨¨¨
..¨..-/*$£                                          £$*/-..¨..
,¨¨~-*†$#@                                          @#$†*-~¨¨,