....-~;*&#                                          #&*;~-....
,¨¨:-;*£&#                                          #&£*;-:¨¨,
.,,~:*%#¶@                                          @¶#%*:~,,.
.^-/*%¤###                                          ###¤%*/-^.
,,-=\=¤£@#                                          #@£¤=\=-,,
,,..«/%£¤¶                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 £$%\~:¨,¨,
,,.~«\†&§@ she  is   worried   and   wants   me  to @§&†\«~.,,
,¨~~;%£§#@              throw it away.              @#§£%;~~¨,
¨-«†^&&¶##                                          ##¶&&^†«-¨
,,~~:$%&@#                                          #@&%$:~~,,
,,.,~;^£§£                                          £§£^;~,.,,
¨.¨,~~:†§£                                          £§†:~~,¨.¨
..,..,«**%                                          %**«,..,..
...,.,,»;$                                          $;»,,.,...