¨.«;†£&#@#                                          #@#&£†;«.¨
,.~~\$%£#@                                          @#£%$\~~.,
,¨¨~~;%@@@                                          @@@%;~~¨¨,
¨,¨,.~†*£#                                          #£*†~.,¨,¨
.,.¨..-=$&                                          &$=-..¨.,.
,.,,,,:~*%                 statuette                %*~:,,,,.,
¨,,...,,~=                                          =~,,...,,¨
..,¨,,.¨~= £&**¤££$*@§§%§¤£»-~~«=-~%£¤$&¤¤¤*£@@&£%% =~¨.,,¨,..
,¨,.,¨,¨¨,                @§@@&£%£%                 ,¨¨,¨,.,¨,
,.¨¨.¨,..¨                                          ¨..,¨.¨¨.,
¨¨,,,.,.,. forests  around my childhood home. thick .,.,.,,,¨¨
¨,,..,,¨,¨ pine   arcades  that  were  planted  and ¨,¨,,..,,¨
...,,,¨,,¨       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ¨,,¨,,,...
.¨.¨,¨,,.¨ underneath,  sniffing at the  ground. it ¨.,,¨,¨.¨.
.,,¨..¨¨,. is  dark and  moist,  the  canopy having .,¨¨..¨,,.
¨¨,,¨,,.,¨ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ¨,.,,¨,,¨¨
......,,¨:                                          :¨,,......
¨.¨,,,¨¨,= there's  a river  passing by, from  east =,¨¨,,,¨.¨
,..¨¨,,^»/ to west,  getting broader and deeper and /»^,,¨¨..,
¨,.¨¨,^~†† slower as it  goes. equisetum grow  just ††~^,¨¨.,¨
.,.,,^~^*£ where  the  pine  hands  start   to  let £*^~^,,.,.
¨¨¨..»=$%# 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. £&%$;»,.,,
.¨¨,,==%£&                                          &£%==,,¨¨.
.¨,,,^«:%&                    \                     &%:«^,,,¨.
.,....~»*%                                          %*»~....,.
,,¨,¨,,,-\ i am not followed, and slow  down in the \-,,,¨,¨,,
,,,¨¨¨,¨,» clearing where  you at  first  can  spot »,¨,¨¨¨,,,
.¨¨¨¨,,.,- the   house,  not  yet  really   in  the -,.,,¨¨¨¨.
,¨¨,.,,¨,. backyard. from my pockets i retrieve  my .,¨,,.,¨¨,
,..,¨¨¨,.. radio  (now dented)  but  also  a  small ..,¨¨¨,..,
¨.¨.,¨.¨,. clay figure  i've never  seen before. it .,¨.¨,.¨.¨
.¨.,.¨¨,,¨ must  have been laying in  the wet dirt, ¨,,¨¨.,.¨.
¨..¨..¨..¨ and  i must've  picked  it  up  with  my ¨..¨..¨..¨
,¨¨¨¨,,,.¨            other belongings.             ¨.,,,¨¨¨¨,
,¨¨.,.,.¨.                                          .¨.,.,.¨¨,
.¨....¨,,: it's a statuette of  a girl laying naked :,,¨....¨.
¨¨,..,,¨,- on  her  stomach,   feet   in  the  air, -,¨,,..,¨¨
¨.¨,,¨.--;   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ;--.¨,,¨.¨
,.¨,¨,:~/% freshly  made, not yet completely dried. %/~:,¨,¨.,
¨.¨.¨:~^*$                                          $*^~:¨.¨.¨
.,¨.,~;%&£ my mom is here now.  i ask her  for some £&%;~,.¨,.
¨¨¨^=:*§¤£ particle board  for  it to  dry on,  but £¤§*:=^¨¨¨
¨,-~\*%@@# she   is  worried  and   wants   me   to #@@%*\~-,¨
¨:~^=£§¶##              throw it away.              ##¶§£=^~:¨
.,.~*$@§£@                                          @£§@$*~.,.
.,.,~^^£§#                                          #§£^^~,.,.
,¨,¨^»\^*#                                          #*^\»^¨,¨,
..,,,.~;$%                                          %$;~.,,,..
..¨..,-=**                                          **=-,..¨..
¨,,,¨,.,=:                                          :=,.,¨,,,¨