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