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