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