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