.,~*^£@###                                          ###@£^*~,.
,..»\%*£##                                          ##£*%\»..,
.,,^~\%%¤@                                          @¤%%\~^,,.
..¨¨~-\$£¤                                          ¤£$\-~¨¨..
.,,,.,-^%£                                          £%^-,.,,,.
.¨.¨.¨,-\%                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.              ^~,,,¨¨¨,.
.¨¨,,.¨,,«                                          «,,¨.,,¨¨.
¨.¨,.¨,,¨:                                          :¨,,¨.,¨.¨
,¨,¨¨,,,,.                                          .,,,,¨¨,¨,
¨¨¨,¨,,...                                          ...,,¨,¨¨¨
.¨¨¨.,,¨.,                                          ,.¨,,.¨¨¨.
.,¨¨..,.,.                                          .,.,..¨¨,.