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