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