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