.:^*%§£@##                                          ##@£§%*^:.
..-^†$####                                          ####$†^-..
¨¨¨./*%¤#@                                          @#¤%*/.¨¨¨
.¨¨,,*†£&¶                                          ¶&£†*,,¨¨.
.¨.,,,=$£#                                          #£$=,,,.¨.
,¨,,¨.~/*¤                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.            @#@@$^,¨.,
¨,¨.:†=%#£                                          £#%=†:.¨,¨
..,,.,;§%£ it's  a statuette of a girl laying naked £%§;,.,,..
¨,¨,,.:=§£ on  her  stomach,   feet  in   the  air, £§=:.,,¨,¨
¨.,¨..¨~/%   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   %/~¨..¨,.¨
,.¨¨¨,¨.~† freshly  made, not yet completely dried. †~.¨,¨¨¨.,
¨,.¨¨¨,,.,                                          ,.,,¨¨¨.,¨
.¨.,.,.,.¨ my mom  is here now. i ask her  for some ¨.,.,.,.¨.
.,.¨.,¨.¨, particle board for  it  to  dry  on, but ,¨.¨,.¨.,.
,,.,¨.,¨¨¨ she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to ¨¨¨,.¨,.,,
.¨,¨,.¨¨.,              throw it away.              ,.¨¨.,¨,¨.
,¨¨.,.,,,=                                          =,,,.,.¨¨,
.,¨,,¨¨:*†                                          †*:¨¨,,¨,.
,,¨,¨¨-*%§                                          §%*-¨¨,¨,,
,.,¨¨.;$£¤                                          ¤£$;.¨¨,.,
.,..,*%@&@                                          @&@%*,..,.
¨¨¨:=$$@@@                                          @@@$$=:¨¨¨