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