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