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