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