.,.¨.^~*§$                                          $§*~^.¨.,.
¨..,,~/%¤£                                          £¤%/~,,..¨
¨,¨^~/†§&£                                          £&§†/~^¨,¨
,.,»^^*&@#                                          #@&*^^»,.,
..~/%$&###                                          ###&$%/~..
¨.,-:*@###                 statuette                ###@*:-,.¨
¨,,:~^^&&¶                                          ¶&&^^~:,,¨
,.¨,:~\*%£ ¤§&%¤@$%£%£§¤%£$»««»-»=»£§§%£%§@¤&&£$*%£ £%*\~:,¨.,
..¨,¨,~:$£                @£**¤$¤@&                 £$:~,¨,¨..
¨,.¨¨¨:~^*                                          *^~:¨¨¨.,¨
¨¨¨,.¨¨,-\ forests around my childhood home.  thick \-,¨¨.,¨¨¨
,,¨..,,,:= pine  arcades  that  were   planted  and =:,,,..¨,,
¨.,.,,.¨..      forgotten. wild boars roaming       ..¨.,,.,.¨
¨.,.¨,,,¨, underneath,  sniffing at the ground.  it ,¨,,,¨.,.¨
,.,....¨,. is  dark and  moist,  the canopy  having .,¨....,.,
¨¨..¨¨.¨-« already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. «-¨.¨¨..¨¨
¨¨¨,..,.-*                                          *-.,..,¨¨¨
¨.¨,¨..-** there's  a  river  passing by, from east **-..¨,¨.¨
.,.,¨-~;=% to west,  getting broader and deeper and %=;~-¨,.,.
...¨.-:*§§ slower as  it  goes. equisetum grow just §§*:-.¨...
,,..«\*¤#@ where  the  pine   hands  start  to  let @#¤*\«..,,
¨¨^===£@£@ through  light, horsemint on  the  rocky @£@£===^¨¨
..~†*£@###                river bed.                ###@£*†~..
¨.-=\*%&@@                                          @@&%*\=-.¨
¨.¨,«*§*¤@                    \                     @¤*§*«,¨.¨
,¨¨¨:~\=%&                                          &%=\~:¨¨¨,
.,¨..-«^%§ the  riverbanks  reek of  magic. tonight §%^«-..¨,.
,¨¨,¨¨-=;= they had been a  swampworld with  sylvan =;=-¨¨,¨¨,
,,.,,,¨~~= water, stone  rings  and floating  moss. =~~¨,,,.,,
,¨,..¨,.:= you  could've found me wallowing  around =:.,¨..,¨,
¨,.¨.,.¨.: on  the  southern  shores  until  i  got :.¨.,.¨.,¨
.¨....,,¨,                 bitten.                  ,¨,,....¨.
.¨,¨¨¨..,-                                          -,..¨¨¨,¨.
.,¨.¨¨,.:« but  now  i'm  further  back,  on  solid «:.,¨¨.¨,.
.,,¨....~^ ground, in shoulder-high grass, with  an ^~....¨,,.
,....,^~=% orange  tin  radio  and  a   translucent %=~^,....,
...¨,.-*$¤      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 ##¶@£$:--.
¨¨.==%*&## clay  figure i've  never seen before. it ##&*%==.¨¨
,¨¨:==*%&@ must have  been laying in the wet  dirt, @&%*==:¨¨,
¨,¨¨.=\%%£ and  i  must've picked  it  up  with  my £%%\=.¨¨,¨
¨,,,..-\$§            other belongings.             §$\-..,,,¨
,.¨¨¨,~-:$                                          $:-~,¨¨¨.,
,¨..¨¨,-~^ it's  a statuette of a girl laying naked ^~-,¨¨..¨,
,¨,.¨¨,¨.~ on   her  stomach,   feet  in  the  air, ~.¨,¨¨.,¨,
.¨¨¨.¨.,¨,   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ,¨,.¨.¨¨¨.
¨.¨.,,,¨., freshly  made, not yet completely dried. ,.¨,,,.¨.¨
,,¨,,¨¨¨¨,                                          ,¨¨¨¨,,¨,,
.,..¨,,.,» my  mom is here  now. i ask her for some »,.,,¨..,.
¨¨,,¨.,~«^ particle board  for  it  to dry on,  but ^«~,.¨,,¨¨
¨.¨,¨.,~\% she   is   worried   and   wants  me  to %\~,.¨,¨.¨
,¨,¨.:~††%              throw it away.              %††~:.¨,¨,
..,¨,=;%§£                                          £§%;=,¨,..
¨¨,,~*†£@#                                          #@£†*~,,¨¨
¨.,»\=£§¶#                                          #¶§£=\»,.¨
.~-;$&@¶##                                          ##¶@&$;-~.
¨,~-:§$§#@                                          @#§$§:-~,¨
¨¨,^»:†§§¶                                          ¶§§†:»^,¨¨