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