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