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