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