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