.¨:~^†&£##                                          ##£&†^~:¨.
.^~=*§§£@#                                          #@£§§*=~^.
.,:«^*£&#@                                          @#&£*^«:,.
,¨.:-=$%##                                          ##%$=-:.¨,
.,¨,^«:=%§                                          §%=:«^,¨,.
¨,..¨~-:^$                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 ¤$^\~,¨.,,
.,,,,:-\*¤                 bitten.                  ¤*\-:,,,,.
¨,,¨¨,,~^*                                          *^~,,¨¨,,¨
,,¨.,.¨~~\ but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid \~~¨.,.¨,,
¨....¨¨,,~ ground, in  shoulder-high grass, with an ~,,¨¨....¨
¨.,¨,,.¨,- orange  tin   radio  and  a  translucent -,¨.,,¨,.¨
¨,.¨.¨,¨,.      umbrella which i'm sitting on.      .,¨,¨.¨.,¨
¨¨.,,,,.,¨                                          ¨,.,,,,.¨¨
¨,.,¨..,.¨                     ;                    ¨.,..¨,.,¨
¨..,¨.,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,.¨,..¨
,,..¨¨,..¨ somethings  moving  in the  grass.  it's ¨..,¨¨..,,
,¨.¨.¨.¨.. invisible to my  eyes  but  i  can  feel ..¨.¨.¨.¨,
.,....¨¨¨¨ through the ground just how large it is. ¨¨¨¨....,.
.¨¨¨,,,¨,.                                          .,¨,,,¨¨¨.
,.,.¨,..¨. the soil is  muddy.  i  slip when trying .¨..,¨.,.,
¨,¨,.¨¨... to  get  up,   still  looking   at   the ...¨¨.,¨,¨
..,.¨,,¨-» direction  of sound  rather  than  at my »-¨,,¨.,..
¨.,,¨¨¨^== hands, who are  busy  putting  things in ==^¨¨¨,,.¨
....,.,-^%                my pockets.               %^-,.,....
..¨,,~-^$%                                          %$^-~,,¨..
,.,¨:»^=@§ then  i   run   east  toward   my  home. §@=^»:¨,.,
.,¨.-=^&##                                          ##&^=-.¨,.
.¨.~\*@¤##                     ;                    ##¤@*\~.¨.
,-=^%%¤£@#                                          #@£¤%%^=-,
¨,:«/%¤@£@ i  am not followed, and slow down in the @£@¤%/«:,¨
,¨¨-»^%%#£ clearing  where you  at  first can  spot £#%%^»-¨¨,
.,.¨.«†*@§ the   house,   not  yet  really  in  the §@*†«.¨.,.
,¨,.,^-*§¤ backyard. from my  pockets i retrieve my ¤§*-^,.,¨,
¨.,,..:~†§ radio  (now  dented)  but also  a  small §†~:..,,.¨
¨¨..,,.:~; clay  figure i've  never seen before. it ;~:.,,..¨¨
.¨.,¨¨.¨,= must  have  been laying in the wet dirt, =,¨.¨¨,.¨.
..¨..¨,,., and  i  must've  picked  it  up  with my ,.,,¨..¨..
,¨¨.¨¨,,,¨            other belongings.             ¨,,,¨¨.¨¨,
,¨¨,,¨,..¨                                          ¨..,¨,,¨¨,
..¨¨.,¨... it's a statuette of  a girl laying naked ...¨,.¨¨..
,,,,,¨..,, on  her  stomach,   feet   in  the  air, ,,..¨,,,,,
,¨¨.,¨.¨,¨   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ¨,¨.¨,.¨¨,
.,¨,¨,¨¨.. freshly made, not yet completely  dried. ..¨¨,¨,¨,.
¨,.,,¨¨..¨                                          ¨..¨¨,,.,¨
....¨..,,, my  mom is here  now. i ask her for some ,,,..¨....
¨,.,..,¨¨. particle  board  for  it  to dry on, but .¨¨,..,.,¨
..,,,,...~ she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to ~...,,,,..
.¨¨,,,¨,.~              throw it away.              ~.,¨,,,¨¨.
..¨¨¨.¨:=;                                          ;=:¨.¨¨¨..
¨.,..¨^-=†                                          †=-^¨..,.¨
.¨.¨¨.«*=£                                          £=*«.¨¨.¨.
¨,¨.,-;*%£                                          £%*;-,.¨,¨
¨¨.-»:$%##                                          ##%$:»-.¨¨
,.,~*%%@¶#                                          #¶@%%*~,.,