¨¨.~;*%¤@#                                          #@¤%*;~.¨¨
.--=*&¤@##                                          ##@¤&*=--.
.¨.«\†£&##                                          ##&£†\«.¨.
¨,..=^$£@@                                          @@£$^=..,¨
.,,.^~†%&£                                          £&%†~^.,,.
..,,,,»†^£                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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