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