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