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