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