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