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