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