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