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