»~¨,¨.¨,,¨                                          ¨,,¨.¨,¨~»
-,,¨..¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨..¨,,-
.¨...,.,..                                          ..,.,...¨.
.,¨.¨...,,                                          ,,...¨.¨,.
--¨¨,¨,,.¨                                          ¨.,,¨,¨¨--
\«~,¨.¨,¨,                 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.              ¨,,¨,,,¨:~
:.¨.,..¨..                                          ..¨..,.¨.:
¨.....,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,.....¨
:¨,.,¨¨,¨¨                                          ¨¨,¨¨,.,¨:
»,,,,¨,.¨¨                                          ¨¨.,¨,,,,»
*«:,..,..,                                          ,..,..,:«*
%:~^..¨,.¨                                          ¨.,¨..^~:%