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