##@&¤%\~,,                                          ,,~\%¤&@##
##@§=*=,.¨                                          ¨.,=*=§@##
¶§£§\«,.¨,                                          ,¨.,«\§£§¶
#¤%/»:.,.¨                                          ¨.,.:»/%¤#
£%/=:.¨¨..                                          ..¨¨.:=/%£
†*«~¨¨,,,,                 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.              .¨.,,,,,=\
=,¨,,.,,,¨                                          ¨,,,.,,¨,=
^¨¨¨..¨¨,¨                                          ¨,¨¨..¨¨¨^
,¨.¨¨,¨.¨.                                          .¨.¨,¨¨.¨,
,¨,...,,.¨                                          ¨.,,...,¨,
...¨,,,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,,,¨...
¨,.¨.....,                                          ,.....¨.,¨