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