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