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