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