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