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