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