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