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