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