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