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