.,.-;%@#@#                                          #@#@%;-.,.
,¨.,«^*$@#                                          #@$*^«,.¨,
¨...^~:^%¶                                          ¶%^:~^...¨
.,,¨.,-^%¤                                          ¤%^-,.¨,,.
,,.,,,-~=$                                          $=~-,,,.,,
¨¨¨.,,¨,~;                 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.              ~:¨...¨..¨
,,.,,,.,~:                                          :~,.,,,.,,
,,.,¨,.~=§                                          §=~.,¨,.,,
,.¨¨.^~^^*                                          *^^~^.¨¨.,
,,..:~=^$#                                          #$^=~:..,,
¨,.-~^^¤@@                                          @@¤^^~-.,¨
,.:~/§&¶##                                          ##¶&§/~:.,