¨¨-=^§&£##                                          ##£&§^=-¨¨
,,.~~^§£@#                                          #@£§^~~.,,
¨,..^~\†$¤                                          ¤$†\~^..,¨
,,¨.,,»:^$                                          $^:»,,.¨,,
,,.,.,^»*$                                          $*»^,.,.,,
¨...,:»=†£                 statuette                £†=»:,...¨
¨,,,,=/*@§                                          §@*/=,,,,¨
.,¨-~;†%#@ ¤&$&$*%¤&$$¤$***~«=~«~--£$*££$@@$£*$%*$$ @#%†;~-¨,.
¨,~-;%$££#                 %£@*$%£&£                #££$%;-~,¨
.,»;*£@£##                                          ##£@£*;»,.
.¨~=:=£@@# forests around my  childhood home. thick #@@£=:=~¨.
¨.¨-~^%££@ pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and @££%^~-¨.¨
¨¨,¨.-/§§§       forgotten. wild boars roaming      §§§/-.¨,¨¨
..¨¨¨,~:%£ underneath,  sniffing at the  ground. it £%:~,¨¨¨..
.¨¨,..~=†$ 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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,.¨,=/%$#¶                                          ¶#$%/=,¨.,
.,~»^§£###                                          ###£§^»~,.