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