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