¤@$;«,¨,¨.                                          .¨,¨,«;$@¤
$$;=,¨,,.¨                                          ¨.,,¨,=;$$
=\=-¨,.¨,,                                          ,,¨.,¨-=\=
*~^,,,,¨¨¨                                          ¨¨¨,,,,^~*
~.¨¨...¨¨,                                          ,¨¨...¨¨.~
*-~,,..¨¨,                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.              ,¨,,.¨,«^%
†».¨.,,¨¨,                                          ,¨¨,,.¨.»†
~.¨¨..,¨¨.                                          .¨¨,..¨¨.~
=~~,,¨.¨,,                                          ,,¨.¨,,~~=
$\«.,¨.¨¨.                                          .¨¨.¨,.«\$
£%;«,,...,                                          ,...,,«;%£
¤¤†*=.¨¨..                                          ..¨¨.=*†¤¤