,.,,,,^«\$                                          $\«^,,,,.,
¨,¨..,-=%$                                          $%=-,..¨,¨
..¨,~=^%&¤                                          ¤&%^=~,¨..
,,.^»;%$£@                                          @£$%;»^.,,
,,,~/%£#@@                                          @@#£%/~,,,
..~†**§£##                 statuette                ##£§**†~..
.,:=:*££#@                                          @#££*:=:,.
.,.~~\*%§@ §$&£**$£¤£%¤$@*£«-»»~=~-*$£$$£¤%£@&%@$$& @§%*\~~.,.
.¨.,,~/*%£                 %§£$&$$£&                £%*/~,,.¨.
.¨..¨,«;=$                                          $=;«,¨..¨.
¨,,.¨¨,=/$ forests around my  childhood home. thick $/=,¨¨.,,¨
..,...¨~~/ pine  arcades  that  were   planted  and /~~¨...,..
¨¨.,.¨¨¨,«      forgotten. wild boars roaming       «,¨¨¨.,.¨¨
,....,,..~ underneath, sniffing at the  ground.  it ~..,,....,
.¨,¨,¨.¨-~ is  dark  and  moist,  the canopy having ~-¨.¨,¨,¨.
.¨...,¨^~* already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. *~^¨,...¨.
¨..,,¨.-/=                                          =/-.¨,,..¨
¨¨,,¨~«^†£ there's  a  river  passing by, from east £†^«~¨,,¨¨
.,,¨~=\*£# to west, getting  broader and deeper and #£*\=~¨,,.
¨,.~»**§#£ slower as it goes. equisetum  grow  just £#§**»~.,¨
.,,=;†$&#@ where  the  pine  hands  start  to   let @#&$†;=,,.
.^»*†%@#@# through light,  horsemint  on the  rocky #@#@%†*»^.
¨..=\$$¤£#                river bed.                #£¤$$\=..¨
¨.¨^-†=£@#                                          #@£=†-^¨.¨
....,«/%$&                    ;                     &$%/«,....
¨,.,,~«^$§                                          §$^«~,,.,¨
.,,,,.-«\^ 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.              ££*\~..,,.
.¨,,,,-;†&                                          &†;-,,,,¨.
¨.,¨,.~»=*                                          *=»~.,¨,.¨
¨.,.,¨,~-^                                          ^-~,¨,.,.¨
.¨..¨¨,.,-                                          -,.,¨¨..¨.
..¨¨,.,,¨-                                          -¨,,.,¨¨..
...¨,,,¨-~                                          ~-¨,,,¨...