¨-~*§@#¶@#                                          #@¶#@§*~-¨
..-~^*£#@#                                          #@#£*^~-..
.,¨~~\*%§#                                          #§%*\~~¨,.
,,¨..-;%*#                                          #*%;-..¨,,
.,..,~=**$                                          $**=~,..,.
.¨,..,,~=$                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. &$§\=.¨¨,¨
¨.¨..-»\^@                                          @^\»-..¨.¨
.,.¨¨,^~†% my mom  is here now. i ask  her for some %†~^,¨¨.,.
,¨¨¨.¨,,~^ particle  board  for it  to dry  on, but ^~,,¨.¨¨¨,
.,¨¨..,¨.~ she   is   worried  and   wants  me   to ~.¨,..¨¨,.
,....,¨.¨:              throw it away.              :¨.¨,....,
...,¨.¨,~-                                          -~,¨.¨,...
¨,¨,¨¨.--\                                          \--.¨¨,¨,¨
,,.,,..-;§                                          §;-..,,.,,
..,¨¨~«^*¤                                          ¤*^«~¨¨,..
¨,¨.~==$*&                                          &*$==~.¨,¨
,¨,:=*§%&#                                          #&%§*=:,¨,