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