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