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