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