,~~§%#@@##                                          ##@@#%§~~,
.¨:«^%£###                                          ###£%^«:¨.
...:-^$¤##                                          ##¤$^-:...
.¨,,.~%*¤#                                          #¤*%~.,,¨.
.¨¨¨¨.~†*¤                                          ¤*†~.¨¨¨¨.
.¨,¨,¨,-*@                 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 ###$*«^¨¨¨
.¨,»=§@### clay figure i've never seen  before.  it ###@§=»,¨.
.,-*££@### must have been laying in  the wet  dirt, ###@££*-,.
,.,~§*§### and  i  must've picked  it  up  with  my ###§*§~,.,
,.,,-%£££#             other belongings.            #£££%-,,.,
...¨:-^@£¶                                          ¶£@^-:¨...
,,.,.,«%£# it's a statuette  of a girl laying naked #£%«,.,.,,
,,¨¨¨,-~^£ on  her  stomach,   feet   in  the  air, £^~-,¨¨¨,,
,.¨.,¨.-~*   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   *~-.¨,.¨.,
.,.,¨,,¨.~ freshly  made, not yet completely dried. ~.¨,,¨,.,.
,¨¨.,,.,¨,                                          ,¨,.,,.¨¨,
¨..,.,,.., my mom  is  here now. i ask her for some ,..,,.,..¨
¨¨.,,...¨, particle  board for it  to  dry  on, but ,¨...,,.¨¨
¨.,¨,.,.¨¨ she   is   worried  and   wants  me   to ¨¨.,.,¨,.¨
¨..,...,¨^              throw it away.              ^¨,...,..¨
,..¨,¨.,-~                                          ~-,.¨,¨..,
¨¨,,¨¨,,=§                                          §=,,¨¨,,¨¨
¨,,..,,-†¤                                          ¤†-,,..,,¨
....,,~^@#                                          #@^~,,....
¨,.,-~=£§@                                          @§£=~-,.,¨
,..:-$%§##                                          ##§%$-:..,