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