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