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