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