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