.,«:*¤¶###                                          ###¶¤*:«,.
.,^=/§#@##                                          ##@#§/=^,.
,,.,«/*&##                                          ##&*/«,.,,
¨,..^-*=@#                                          #@=*-^..,¨
..,,..«^†¤                                          ¤†^«..,,..
,¨,¨..-~†=                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.              ####&*†«,,
¨.,-=†£#@#                                          #@#£†=-,.¨
...:-†^¤£@                                          @£¤^†-:...
¨.¨¨,-=†£@                                          @£†=-,¨¨.¨
..,¨¨.«/*£                                          £*/«.¨¨,..
,...,.~~=*                                          *=~~.,...,
..,,.,¨^~^                                          ^~^¨,.,,..