¤£,.¨¨@,£&                                          @,&¨§.¤.§#
£#,.¨¤#.,£                                          ¤.§¨@¨¤..£
&@,,¤,£,§¤                                          #,#,§.£.#¨
,£.@¤.&¨¨@                                          §,¤,#,§.#.
§§¨¨¤.@.£#                                          @,#.#¨§¨@,
.£,¤@,&¨.§                 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.              &.@,¤,#¨#.
,¤¨&¤.§.¨£                                          §,&.£,#.@,
£&..£¨@,#¤                                          #¨@,#¨@.@.
.@,¤¤,¤.,#                                          £¨#.§.£¨@¨
&¤¨.#¨&¨#¤                                          &,#,¤¨#.¤,
¨@,&@¨@¨.@                                          ¤,§.@,¤.£.
&¤¨.£¨&.&@                                          #,#,@,@.&.