¨¨,^«\†%&#                                          #&%†\«^,¨¨
.¨,.~=/§¤#                                          #¤§/=~.,¨.
¨,¨.,^=^%%                                          %%^=^,.¨,¨
,..,,¨^~*$                                          $*~^¨,,..,
.,...¨¨~«*                                          *«~¨¨...,.
.¨.,,¨~«/§                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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,,,¨,.=:=§                                          §=:=.,¨,,,