,,,,¨^«/*%                                          %*/«^¨,,,,
¨¨¨¨.,:~**                                          **~:,.¨¨¨¨
,¨.,¨,¨.«;                                          ;«.¨,¨,.¨,
¨,,,.¨¨¨-=                                          =-¨¨¨.,,,¨
,..,¨¨,,¨,                                          ,¨,,¨¨,..,
¨,¨¨,.,¨,.                 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.                ##@@*$†=:¨
¨¨,«^%*#¶@                                          @¶#*%^«,¨¨
¨¨.-~\%%#£ then   i  run  east   toward   my  home. £#%%\~-.¨¨
¨.¨,^«†*%@                                          @%*†«^,¨.¨
,¨¨¨.~~^†£                    ^                     £†^~~.¨¨¨,
¨,.¨.,,=:%                                          %:=,,.¨.,¨
,.¨,.,¨:~* i am not  followed, and slow down in the *~:¨,.,¨.,
.¨,,,¨..:» clearing where  you at  first  can  spot »:..¨,,,¨.
,.,¨,,..,. the   house,  not   yet  really  in  the .,..,,¨,.,
..¨.,,¨¨., backyard. from my pockets i retrieve  my ,.¨¨,,.¨..
...¨¨..¨., radio  (now  dented) but  also  a  small ,.¨..¨¨...
.¨¨,,,¨¨¨, clay figure i've  never seen before.  it ,¨¨¨,,,¨¨.
,¨,¨.,¨,.. must have been laying  in the wet  dirt, ..,¨,.¨,¨,
,,¨¨¨..,¨, and  i  must've picked  it  up  with  my ,¨,..¨¨¨,,
.¨,¨,.,.,.            other belongings.             .,.,.,¨,¨.
,¨,.,¨¨.¨,                                          ,¨.¨¨,.,¨,
,.......,¨ it's a  statuette of a girl laying naked ¨,.......,
.¨¨.,.,..¨ on  her   stomach,   feet  in  the  air, ¨..,.,.¨¨.
..,¨¨¨¨.,:   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   :,.¨¨¨¨,..
,.¨..¨.¨:~ freshly made, not  yet completely dried. ~:¨.¨..¨.,
¨.,,¨.,~~:                                          :~~,.¨,,.¨
,.¨¨¨.,~;* my mom is here now.  i ask her for  some *;~,.¨¨¨.,
,.,.¨.~^%% particle  board  for it  to  dry on, but %%^~.¨.,.,
¨¨,¨.=†*££ she  is   worried  and   wants   me   to ££*†=.¨,¨¨
,¨.,«;%%#@              throw it away.              @#%%;«,.¨,
.¨--\§§#¶@                                          @¶#§§\--¨.
,,~:%$§###                                          ###§$%:~,,
¨¨,-\=£&@#                                          #@&£=\-,¨¨
,.,,~^=$#£                                          £#$=^~,,.,
,¨,¨^-†=%£                                          £%=†-^¨,¨,
,¨...,»:*$                                          $*:»,...¨,