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