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