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