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