£#$^^~-.¨¨                                          ¨¨.-~^^$#£
#@&¤§=~-..                                          ..-~=§¤&@#
##£§%^^-^¨                                          ¨^-^^%§£##
##@%§;~,,,                                          ,,,~;§%@##
##**†~:.¨¨                                          ¨¨.:~†**##
££^:«,.¨.¨                 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 ¨,.:~*=£#¶
#%$/«:,... she  is   worried   and  wants   me   to ...,:«/$%#
$*;--.¨¨,,              throw it away.              ,,¨¨.--;*$
=^».¨,¨¨.¨                                          ¨.¨¨,¨.»^=
*~^¨,,¨.,.                                          .,.¨,,¨^~*
-:,,¨,.,,,                                          ,,,.,¨,,:-
-.,..¨,¨..                                          ..¨,¨..,.-
,,,.¨¨..,¨                                          ¨,..¨¨.,,,
,,..¨.¨,,.                                          .,,¨.¨..,,