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