«~.,.,¨¨..                                          ..¨¨,.,.~«
==:¨¨.,..,                                          ,..,.¨¨:==
§=-:,¨,.¨,                                          ,¨.,¨,:-=§
**/»^¨,.,,                                          ,,.,¨^»/**
&%*;»..,,,                                          ,,,..»;*%&
¶¤$%;=,¨..                statuette                 ..¨,=;%$¤¶
##¤&§==^¨.                                          .¨^==§&¤##
##¶@$§:=.¨ *£&§*%££§§£§$$$£~-~»=«=»*£@§%%¤$%§@$$$%¤ ¨.=:§$@¶##
#¶¤$%*=,.,                £&$¤@@¤%¤                 ,.,=*%$¤¶#
@&%†=-^.¨,                                          ,¨.^-=†%&@
@%%\-~,,,¨ 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 ¨¨¨¨,~~/^£
#£$*~:...¨ particle board  for it  to dry  on,  but ¨...:~*$£#
¶@$†;-~,,. she   is   worried   and  wants   me  to .,,~-;†$@¶
#¶¤§$:~,,,              throw it away.              ,,,~:$§¤¶#
###&%=;».,                                          ,.»;=%&###
#¶£$%†=-.,                                          ,.-=†%$£¶#
@@¤^\=-¨.¨                                          ¨.¨-=\^¤@@
§¤^=«^..,¨                                          ¨,..^«=^¤§
£*=--,,,¨.                                          .¨,,,--=*£
*^«-,¨¨,.¨                                          ¨.,¨¨,-«^*