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