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