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