.¨,.,¨.^~^                                          ^~^.¨,.,¨.
¨,,¨.¨.»/*                                          */».¨.¨,,¨
..¨¨.,~\%%                                          %%\~,.¨¨..
¨¨¨..«**¤£                                          £¤**«..¨¨¨
.¨.,~*^£§¶                                          ¶§£^*~,.¨.
.¨.~;%*&¶#                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, $;~^,¨¨.,.
,.,.¨¨,,-\   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   \-,,¨¨.,.,
.¨..¨¨..,= freshly made, not  yet completely dried. =,..¨¨..¨.
,....¨,...                                          ...,¨....,
¨,,..,¨,.¨ my mom is  here now.  i ask her for some ¨.,¨,..,,¨
,,.,,.,.,- particle board for  it to  dry  on,  but -,.,.,,.,,
,.¨¨..¨.^» she   is  worried  and   wants   me   to »^.¨..¨¨.,
¨¨,,..¨~«=              throw it away.              =«~¨..,,¨¨
,,,¨,,-~*†                                          †*~-,,¨,,,
.¨.¨,.«;†$                                          $†;«.,¨.¨.
¨,¨.:~\%££                                          ££%\~:.¨,¨
.,,,=:§%£@                                          @£%§:=,,,.
¨,,~\$££##                                          ##££$\~,,¨
,~~^†$&£@#                                          #@£&$†^~~,