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