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