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