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