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