,^»:%$$$£@                                          @£$$$%:»^,
¨,¨:~=~^$¶                                          ¶$^~=~:¨,¨
,^»^%@$§¤#                                          #¤§$@%^»^,
¨,,,¨.=$*#                                          #*$=.¨,,,¨
..=/%§¤@@#                                          #@@¤§%/=..
,,¨,~%$&££                 statuette                ££&$%~,¨,,
¨,¨.«=£@&£                                          £&@£=«.¨,¨
.,»;†£§#@# $£$%§@£¤*%*$*@$¤-~-»~~-~¤*%$¤&¤@$§%$§£%§ #@#§£†;»,.
,.,,.,=^§£                 &%@@%£@@*                £§^=,.,,.,
¨.¨,,~»*¤#                                          #¤*»~,,¨.¨
..-\†&£### forests around my childhood home.  thick ###£&†\-..
,,«†*¤@%@# pine  arcades   that  were  planted  and #@%@¤*†«,,
,-~:†$#@##       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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¨,~†;†¤$#@                                          @#$¤†;†~,¨