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