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