,,=/=£####                                          ####£=/=,,
,,^»;%£&@#                                          #@&£%;»^,,
.,,-~:§*#@                                          @#*§:~-,,.
,¨.¨^~=†¤£                                          £¤†=~^¨.¨,
¨.,¨,~»=*%                                          %*=»~,¨,.¨
¨¨,¨¨¨,«/%                 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 @@£$^-~¨,.
¨¨.«*†§£## clay  figure i've  never seen before. it ##£§†*«.¨¨
¨~«;=£@@## must have been  laying in the  wet dirt, ##@@£=;«~¨
.¨.«/§&@## and  i  must've picked  it  up  with  my ##@&§/«.¨.
.,¨:~:%&##            other belongings.             ##&%:~:¨,.
.,¨,,~*†@#                                          #@†*~,,¨,.
,¨.¨¨,-:%£ it's a statuette of a  girl laying naked £%:-,¨¨.¨,
¨.¨¨,,~~;= on  her  stomach,   feet   in  the  air, =;~~,,¨¨.¨
,..,..¨-»*   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   *»-¨..,..,
,,¨,,.¨.^« freshly made,  not yet completely dried. «^.¨.,,¨,,
¨¨,,.¨.,¨^                                          ^¨,.¨.,,¨¨
,.,..¨.¨¨. my mom is  here  now. i ask her for some .¨¨.¨..,.,
.¨,...,,.¨ particle  board for  it  to  dry on, but ¨.,,...,¨.
,,,.,,,... she   is  worried   and   wants   me  to ...,,,.,,,
..,..¨..,-              throw it away.              -,..¨..,..
¨.,.,.¨.^~                                          ~^.¨.,.,.¨
¨..¨..,~»^                                          ^»~,..¨..¨
,,¨,,¨:-^^                                          ^^-:¨,,¨,,
,,,¨,^=:%&                                          &%:=^,¨,,,
¨¨.,~-*$£#                                          #£$*-~,.¨¨
,..,~;*§&@                                          @&§*;~,..,