¨^=*%%¤###                                          ###¤%%*=^¨
,.-=%£¤###                                          ###¤£%=-.,
,--;*$#££#                                          #££#$*;--,
,-~/^$£@##                                          ##@£$^/~-,
.¨,.«†$$¤@                                          @¤$$†«.,¨.
,,»^*$#@@#                 statuette                #@@#$*^»,,
¨~~^%$#@##                                          ##@#$%^~~¨
,~»==£§@## §¤%&*£%£@%&%$¤@$«~~~-«~~£££¤%@§££¤%$%%*$ ##@§£==»~,
¨¨,«/^%£¶¶                 *¤££¤$$£*                ¶¶£%^/«,¨¨
¨:«=†@§@##                                          ##@§@†=«:¨
¨,«\*%#£## forests around my  childhood home. thick ##£#%*\«,¨
.^»^†%@### pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and ###@%†^»^.
..,.»†%&@@      forgotten. wild boars roaming       @@&%†».,..
,:=†*$##@# underneath, sniffing  at the  ground. it #@##$*†=:,
¨¨¨..==^*¤ is  dark and  moist,  the canopy  having ¤*^==..¨¨¨
.-»;=%&¶@# already   soaked   up   all   the   sun. #@¶&%=;»-.
¨-»^%$¤¶##                                          ##¶¤$%^»-¨
¨,=^§¤£@¶# there's  a  river passing by, from  east #¶@£¤§^=,¨
,,»\**£### to west, getting broader and deeper  and ###£**\»,,
..,.,.-/§£ slower as  it  goes. equisetum grow just £§/-.,.,..
,,~/%$§£## where  the  pine  hands  start   to  let ##£§$%/~,,
,.«;%%§### through  light,  horsemint on the  rocky ###§%%;«.,
,:-;§¤§#@#                river bed.                #@#§¤§;-:,
.,»/*&##@#                                          #@##&*/»,.
¨,«;$$#@##                     \                    ##@#$$;«,¨
,¨,:;\&§¤#                                          #¤§&\;:,¨,
,,»\*$¤@@# the  riverbanks reek  of  magic. tonight #@@¤$*\»,,
,.,-,~%=£§ 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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,,..«»†¤££                                          ££¤†»«..,,