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