.,¨:-:*@@#                                          #@@*:-:¨,.
¨¨-«;§¤@@#                                          #@@¤§;«-¨¨
.:=:§§@###                                          ###@§§:=:.
¨,,~*^&###                                          ###&^*~,,¨
.¨,.==*£¶#                                          #¶£*==.,¨.
,,¨¨~~=$##                statuette                 ##$=~~¨¨,,
¨¨¨¨.~»*%¤                                          ¤%*»~.¨¨¨¨
..¨,,.^-/* &%&$*£££@$$*%§%£«-«==»--&$**¤£$§$£¤&$§$% */-^.,,¨..
¨¨¨¨¨,,--^                 £¤@%£$$$&                ^--,,¨¨¨¨¨
.¨,,¨,.,.=                                          =.,.,¨,,¨.
.¨.¨,¨..,: 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 ####£$†=~.
,.-~==¤£## backyard.  from my pockets i retrieve my ##£¤==~-.,
,,,-«=§£¶# radio  (now dented)  but  also  a  small #¶£§=«-,,,
.¨.,,~\*£# clay figure  i've never  seen before. it #£*\~,,.¨.
,.,.,,=^*¤ must  have been laying in the  wet dirt, ¤*^=,,.,.,
.¨.¨..-~^* and  i  must've  picked  it  up  with my *^~-..¨.¨.
..¨,.,,:»:            other belongings.             :»:,,.,¨..
,,¨,.,..,-                                          -,..,.,¨,,
.¨¨,¨¨.... it's a statuette of a girl laying  naked ....¨¨,¨¨.
¨..,¨¨¨¨¨¨ on  her   stomach,   feet  in  the  air, ¨¨¨¨¨¨,..¨
....,,,¨¨,   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ,¨¨,,,....
¨¨¨,,.,¨.~ freshly made, not yet completely  dried. ~.¨,.,,¨¨¨
.,...,.:-/                                          /-:.,...,.
,,¨..,^»=% my  mom is here now.  i ask her for some %=»^,..¨,,
.,.¨¨,«/*@ particle  board  for it  to dry  on, but @*/«,¨¨.,.
¨,.¨.~:*#@ she   is   worried  and   wants   me  to @#*:~.¨.,¨
,¨.--;%§@@              throw it away.              @@§%;--.¨,
¨.^~=%@@##                                          ##@@%=~^.¨
,^=^*¤@###                                          ###@¤*^=^,
¨.-«**&@@#                                          #@@&**«-.¨
,..^~†$@##                                          ##@$†~^..,
.,,¨,=;^&£                                          £&^;=,¨,,.
.¨..¨:~^=§                                          §=^~:¨..¨.