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