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