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