.¨,~:^@&£#                                          #£&@^:~,¨.
,,=†^&&£##                                          ##£&&^†=,,
,,^»†^$&¶#                                          #¶&$^†»^,,
,.¨.»*†£@£                                          £@£†*».¨.,
,¨¨¨,~=*§§                                          §§*=~,¨¨¨,
¨,¨.,,~†%$                 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 ####@*†-~¨
,¨:-†$*¤£@              throw it away.              @£¤*$†-:¨,
.,¨,~:=$¤£                                          £¤$=:~,¨,.
.¨.¨~~;%§&                                          &§%;~~¨.¨.
.¨,.¨^»\†£                                          £†\»^¨.,¨.
¨.,,.,~~\=                                          =\~~,.,,.¨
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¨¨,.¨¨¨.:~                                          ~:.¨¨¨.,¨¨