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