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