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