,..-/%$&¶#                                          #¶&$%/-..,
.:»†%%&£##                                          ##£&%%†»:.
¨,-«;†§£##                                          ##£§†;«-,¨
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¨,.,«\§£§#                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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