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