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