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