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