@*/-~.,¨.¨                                          ¨.¨,.~-/*@
%;=,¨¨,.,.                                          .,.,¨¨,=;%
^=~..¨.,.,                                          ,.,.¨..~=^
=^,.¨¨.,¨,                                          ,¨,.¨¨.,^=
:.¨....¨¨,                                          ,¨¨....¨.:
.¨¨¨.,.¨..                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.              ,¨..,,«:=%
†*-~,.¨,..                                          ..,¨.,~-*†
:-.¨..¨,,¨                                          ¨,,¨..¨.-:
~,¨.¨,,.,.                                          .,.,,¨.¨,~
.¨¨¨,¨....                                          ....¨,¨¨¨.
,¨...,¨,.,                                          ,.,¨,...¨,
^¨,.,.¨..¨                                          ¨..¨.,.,¨^