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