,,»\^£@@##                                          ##@@£^\»,,
¨,:«†$*@@#                                          #@@*$†«:,¨
¨,~;$£#@##                                          ##@#£$;~,¨
,,^«*%@£@#                                          #@£@%*«^,,
¨-»:§£####                                          ####£§:»-¨
.¨,-*%*#@#                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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