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