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