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