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