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