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