¨,.^;:%&£@                                          @£&%:;^.,¨
.:~^%*£$£@                                          @£$£*%^~:.
¨,,,,,~^&£                                          £&^~,,,,,¨
¨.-:**¤£##                                          ##£¤**:-.¨
¨¨,¨.,^/§@                                          @§/^,.¨,¨¨
.,«†%$#@##                statuette                 ##@#$%†«,.
¨,-=%@#¶@#                                          #@¶#@%=-,¨
,,,~«§=*¤& @$&£$¤%%§§*¤%£$*»-»««~«»*¤$$¤%$%¤¤£%@¤$$ &¤*=§«~,,,
.,¨,»††:$@                 ¤%££**§@§                @$:††»,¨,.
¨.,..,:=@£                                          £@=:,..,.¨
.^=:$$£¶## forests around  my childhood home. thick ##¶£$$:=^.
.,¨~^=%&¤@ 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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