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