¨:«;§%#@¶@                                          @¶@#%§;«:¨
.,~*%§#@¶@                                          @¶@#§%*~,.
..-\%¤#@##                                          ##@#¤%\-..
¨.~:§$@@##                                          ##@@$§:~.¨
¨,~\$£&#@£                                          £@#&£$\~,¨
,¨..=»^;%§                 statuette                §%;^»=..¨,
¨¨¨.-;**$§                                          §$**;-.¨¨¨
,,.¨.«$¤@# @%$§%¤£%¤@$&$$£$~-~«~~~=@&§£&§¤§§£§%&%$£ #@¤$«.¨.,,
.,..»*†%&@                 *$§%@$%$%                @&%†*»..,.
¨--^*%&@@@                                          @@@&%*^--¨
.~«/%£&&¤@ 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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,-»=*%%@¶£                                          £¶@%%*=»-,