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