¨.,¨,»/:*¤                                          ¤*:/»,¨,.¨
,:\$£@####                                          ####@£$\:,
¨-=/*=:%¤&                                          &¤%:=*/=-¨
,,..¨~=$##                                          ##$=~¨..,,
¨,¨.:«»%@§                                          §@%»«:.¨,¨
.~-/$$%££#                 statuette                #££%$$/-~.
¨.»*§£¤¶@#                                          #@¶¤£§*».¨
,.,,,:,;*& @¤£%*§£§$£*%£$**«~~~===~%&&%£%$*%$¤$*¤¤* &*;,:,,,.,
¨¨¨~=;=*&¶                 $$%$&@%*£                ¶&*=;=~¨¨¨
¨,-†%$#¶@#                                          #@¶#$%†-,¨
,:~^^£¤¶## forests around my childhood  home. thick ##¶¤£^^~:,
¨,~*%£#¶@# pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and #@¶#£%*~,¨
¨-~†^$@¶##       forgotten. wild boars roaming      ##¶@$^†~-¨
¨...¨»=#@# underneath,  sniffing  at the ground. it #@#=»¨...¨
.:~\%%§¤§# is  dark  and  moist,  the canopy having #§¤§%%\~:.
,-=^£§@@## already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. ##@@§£^=-,
¨¨,«»^*$§@                                          @§$*^»«,¨¨
.:-=$&#¶@# there's a  river  passing  by, from east #@¶#&$=-:.
¨:»†*::$£¶ to  west, getting broader and deeper and ¶£$::*†»:¨
.^~\$$¤¶@# slower as  it  goes. equisetum grow just #@¶¤$$\~^.
,¨,,^«^$££ where  the  pine  hands  start  to   let ££$^«^,,¨,
.,«*†&§### 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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¨.«†*£#@##                                          ##@#£*†«.¨