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