=:,,.,..,¨                                          ¨,..,.,,:=
:.,.¨¨.¨,¨                                          ¨,¨.¨¨.,.:
.¨,¨,¨¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨¨,¨,¨.
,..¨...¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨...¨..,
~^...,.,¨,                                          ,¨,.,...^~
*--,.¨...¨                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.              ,,,¨,¨¨.,-
^.¨,,.¨.,,                                          ,,.¨.,,¨.^
...¨.¨¨¨,¨                                          ¨,¨¨¨.¨...
.,.¨,,¨,.,                                          ,.,¨,,¨.,.
~-,¨.¨¨.,¨                                          ¨,.¨¨.¨,-~
\»:,¨.,,,,                                          ,,,,.¨,:»\
††».¨.,,¨,                                          ,¨,,.¨.»††