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