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