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