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