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