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