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