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