..,,.~=†%£                                          £%†=~.,,..
,,.¨,-»\*¤                                          ¤*\»-,¨.,,
,¨,¨,.~=††                                          ††=~.,¨,¨,
¨,¨,¨..,~\                                          \~,..¨,¨,¨
¨¨....¨.~~                                          ~~.¨....¨¨
,¨,,¨¨¨~«†                 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.              *;»~..¨...
¨¨¨....^«†                                          †«^....¨¨¨
.¨,¨..¨.:=                                          =:.¨..¨,¨.
¨,.¨¨,..~;                                          ;~..,¨¨.,¨
¨..,,.~=*§                                          §*=~.,,..¨
.¨,¨¨-~\*£                                          £*\~-¨¨,¨.
¨,¨.,-\%££                                          ££%\-,.¨,¨