=~¨,.,..¨¨                                          ¨¨..,.,¨~=
:,¨,,,..,,                                          ,,..,,,¨,:
¨¨.¨,.¨¨¨.                                          .¨¨¨.,¨.¨¨
¨¨,¨,..,¨.                                          .¨,..,¨,¨¨
.,¨.¨¨..¨,                                          ,¨..¨¨.¨,.
^.¨...,,,¨                 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 ¨,,¨~~††&&
#&$%^»:¨¨¨ she   is   worried  and   wants  me   to ¨¨¨:»^%$&#
##¤$†;=^.,              throw it away.              ,.^=;†$¤##
####%§/»^,                                          ,^»/§%####
##¤£*^=.¨.                                          .¨.=^*£¤##
@@$*\-.¨¨.                                          .¨¨.-\*$@@
§&*:=-..,¨                                          ¨,..-=:*&§
¤%†~..¨.¨,                                          ,¨.¨..~†%¤
^*~,.¨,¨.¨                                          ¨.¨,¨.,~*^