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