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