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