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