¨¨¨.,,~=%#                                          #%=~,,.¨¨¨
.^«;%¤¤###                                          ###¤¤%;«^.
,.,¨.^~«*§                                          §*«~^.¨,.,
,¨,¨:-†%^#                                          #^%†-:¨,¨,
..¨,,.^:%§                                          §%:^.,,¨..
,,=/^@@#@#                 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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,,.,^,«%*£                                          £*%«,^,.,,