¨,~~/=#£##                                          ##£#=/~~,¨
¨~~:%&#@##                                          ##@#&%:~~¨
¨,:«**####                                          ####**«:,¨
¨,,~~^^&@#                                          #@&^^~~,,¨
.,..,~^*#@                                          @#*^~,..,.
¨..,,~==§&                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.              .¨¨.¨.¨.¨¨
¨...,,..¨,                                          ,¨..,,...¨
.¨.,..¨,^~                                          ~^,¨..,.¨.
..¨.¨¨,,==                                          ==,,¨¨.¨..
,,,.¨.-~:%                                          %:~-.¨.,,,
.¨.,¨.~*^#                                          #^*~.¨,.¨.
¨,¨¨.~†§@@                                          @@§†~.¨¨,¨