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