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