¨¨¨.-=:*@¤                                          ¤@*:=-.¨¨¨
..¨~»^*$£#                                          #£$*^»~¨..
,.^-\*¤#@#                                          #@#¤*\-^.,
,.«†^%£###                                          ###£%^†«.,
,.:~/*&£##                                          ##£&*/~:.,
,¨..~=$&@£                 statuette                £@&$=~..¨,
..,.:~=%$#                                          #$%=~:.,..
.,¨¨.,-^*£ @*%$$&*%§£@£¤%¤&~~~«-===@*£§&£¤*$$*$$£$¤ £*^-,.¨¨,.
¨,,¨¨,.=^%                $£%$¤$¤%%                 %^=.,¨¨,,¨
,¨¨..,,,»/                                          /»,,,..¨¨,
,.¨¨...,,« forests around my  childhood home. thick «,,...¨¨.,
¨,¨,.¨¨¨,, pine  arcades  that  were   planted  and ,,¨¨¨.,¨,¨
¨,¨¨....,¨       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ¨,....¨¨,¨
¨.,.¨¨.,¨¨ underneath, sniffing at the  ground.  it ¨¨,.¨¨.,.¨
¨,.,.¨¨¨,. is  dark and  moist, the  canopy  having .,¨¨¨.,.,¨
¨,,,¨¨,,,¨ already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ¨,,,¨¨,,,¨
,¨,.,¨¨,.¨                                          ¨.,¨¨,.,¨,
..¨,¨¨¨¨., there's a  river  passing by, from  east ,.¨¨¨¨,¨..
.,¨,,¨¨,^= to west, getting  broader and deeper and =^,¨¨,,¨,.
¨¨¨,¨¨.--* slower  as it goes.  equisetum grow just *--.¨¨,¨¨¨
.¨¨,,.:-:§ where  the  pine  hands  start  to   let §:-:.,,¨¨.
.¨.¨¨-»^%* through  light, horsemint on  the  rocky *%^»-¨¨.¨.
.,¨.,-;†£¤                river bed.                ¤£†;-,.¨,.
¨¨.--*†$&£                                          £&$†*--.¨¨
.,,-†%&§£#                     =                    #£§&%†-,,.
,~«^=$£@##                                          ##@£$=^«~,
,.:«**£&## the  riverbanks  reek  of magic. tonight ##&£**«:.,
,,,^»^*$&¶ 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.              #&%\»-,¨,.
¨....~=/^@                                          @^/=~....¨
¨.¨,.¨,-\§                                          §\-,¨.,¨.¨
¨¨,,¨.¨,-=                                          =-,¨.¨,,¨¨
.¨,¨¨¨.¨,~                                          ~,¨.¨¨¨,¨.
.,¨¨...,,,                                          ,,,...¨¨,.
..¨¨..,.¨¨                                          ¨¨.,..¨¨..