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