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