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