¤%:=^,¨.¨.                                          .¨.¨,^=:%¤
*\«~,.¨,..                                          ..,¨.,~«\*
:~-,¨.¨.,¨                                          ¨,.¨.¨,-~:
=,.,...,¨¨                                          ¨¨,...,.,=
~.,,¨..,.¨                                          ¨.,..¨,,.~
¨¨...,,.,,                 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.              ,¨,,¨,-\†£
*^~~¨.¨¨,.                                          .,¨¨.¨~~^*
=~:,,,,,.¨                                          ¨.,,,,,:~=
~~,.,,..,¨                                          ¨,..,,.,~~
,.,..,¨.¨.                                          .¨.¨,..,.,
¨,,,,..,,,                                          ,,,..,,,,¨
,...¨,,...                                          ...,,¨...,