,¨¨^»=^*##                                          ##*^=»^¨¨,
,,,¨-=^%¤@                                          @¤%^=-¨,,,
¨,.,.--***                                          ***--.,.,¨
,..,.,~~\§                                          §\~~,.,..,
...,¨¨,^~\                                          \~^,¨¨,...
,.,...,.~«                 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.              ^,.,¨.¨.,.
¨,¨..,,¨..                                          ..¨,,..¨,¨
.,.¨.¨.,,,                                          ,,,.¨.¨.,.
,,.¨.¨,,¨,                                          ,¨,,¨.¨.,,
,¨,.¨,¨¨¨,                                          ,¨¨¨,¨.,¨,
.,.,¨...¨¨                                          ¨¨...¨,.,.
¨,¨¨,¨.¨.:                                          :.¨.¨,¨¨,¨