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