%;«,.¨,,¨¨                                          ¨¨,,¨.,«;%
:«-¨,..,.,                                          ,.,..,¨-«:
«.¨¨¨,¨.¨,                                          ,¨.¨,¨¨¨.«
^¨,¨...¨¨.                                          .¨¨...¨,¨^
.¨,.¨...¨.                                          .¨...¨.,¨.
.¨,.,.¨,¨¨                 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. .¨.,,«†$*#
&*=«^....¨                                          ¨....^«=*&
^\=,,,.,¨¨                    :                     ¨¨,.,,,=\^
/~,¨¨¨,¨,¨                                          ¨,¨,¨¨¨,~/
~^,¨¨¨,... i am  not followed, and slow down in the ...,¨¨¨,^~
...,¨¨¨.¨¨ clearing  where  you at first  can  spot ¨¨.¨¨¨,...
,,.¨¨.,¨.¨ the  house,  not  yet   really  in   the ¨.¨,.¨¨.,,
...,¨...,¨ backyard. from my pockets i retrieve  my ¨,...¨,...
,.,,¨.,,,, radio  (now  dented)  but also  a  small ,,,,.¨,,.,
,,,,¨,¨,.. clay  figure i've never  seen before. it ..,¨,¨,,,,
.,¨..,.¨,¨ must have been laying  in  the wet dirt, ¨,¨.,..¨,.
¨,.¨.,.,.. and  i  must've  picked it  up  with  my ..,.,.¨.,¨
,...,,¨¨,.             other belongings.            .,¨¨,,...,
,¨.,¨¨.¨,¨                                          ¨,¨.¨¨,.¨,
,,,.¨,..., it's a statuette of a girl  laying naked ,...,¨.,,,
.¨,¨...,.¨ on   her   stomach,  feet  in  the  air, ¨.,...¨,¨.
-:¨,¨¨.¨,¨   roughly seven centimeters long. it's   ¨,¨.¨¨,¨:-
†-,,,¨.,,¨ freshly made,  not yet completely dried. ¨,,.¨,,,-†
§†~.,¨.,.,                                          ,.,.¨,.~†§
%%/-,,.¨¨¨ my mom is here  now.  i ask her for some ¨¨¨.,,-/%%
§&*^~:,.,. particle board for  it  to  dry  on, but .,.,:~^*&§
@@@*:»,¨,, she   is  worried  and   wants   me   to ,,¨,»:*@@@
#£@@^==~,,              throw it away.              ,,~==^@@£#
##@@$**~-,                                          ,-~**$@@##
##§&%==~..                                          ..~==%&§##
@§$†\~-¨¨.                                          .¨¨-~\†$§@
#§†^-,,,,¨                                          ¨,,,,-^†§#
$*^«,,¨¨¨,                                          ,¨¨¨,,«^*$
$\~,¨,¨,¨¨                                          ¨¨,¨,¨,~\$