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