..¨,»^;%@@                                          @@%;^»,¨..
.,«†*$#@##                                          ##@#$*†«,.
,~-;*@#@##                                          ##@#@*;-~,
.,=†*§§@##                                          ##@§§*†=,.
.^«/=£#@@#                                          #@@#£=/«^.
,-=§@#####                 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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