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