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