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