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