¨.¨,¨~-~%@                                          @%~-~¨,¨.¨
¨...¨,.:£@                                          @£:.,¨...¨
.¨.¨.^£%#@                                          @#%£^.¨.¨.
¨.=†$$¤@##                                          ##@¤$$†=.¨
.~~††%¤£@#                                          #@£¤%††~~.
,^-\§%*$&#                statuette                 #&$*%§\-^,
.¨^^-:»^%#                                          #%^»:-^^¨.
.~»\*^£¤§£ %*%$$%&%¤%££&$&&~=»~~--«¤¤@$£$&*¤$$¤£§$& £§¤£^*\»~.
,.~;=%&@##                %§@%%&%$£                 ##@&%=;~.,
,....«^§#£                                          £#§^«....,
,¨¨,:»$*£# forests around  my childhood home. thick #£*$»:,¨¨,
.-«:§$££@# pine  arcades  that   were  planted  and #@££$§:«-.
,.»^%&££##       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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