.¨.-~;%%§£                                          £§%%;~-.¨.
¨..¨,=;%*£                                          £*%;=,¨..¨
,¨.,,^-\%¤                                          ¤%\-^,,.¨,
,..,..~~**                                          **~~..,..,
,¨....¨-~;                                          ;~-¨....¨,
..¨,,¨,,,~                 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.              £§£§\~-¨.,
¨,.,^===%£                                          £%===^,.,¨
.,.,,^=:$$                                          $$:=^,,.,.
.¨..¨.~-^$                                          $^-~.¨..¨.
¨.,¨¨,.,«\                                          \«,.,¨¨,.¨
¨¨.¨¨¨.¨,~                                          ~,¨.¨¨¨.¨¨
,.¨,¨¨.,¨,                                          ,¨,.¨¨,¨.,