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