¨^~=†£¤@##                                          ##@¤£†=~^¨
¨¨,:\;†&£#                                          #£&†;\:,¨¨
.-~†%@£¶##                                          ##¶£@%†~-.
..-*$&&@##                                          ##@&&$*-..
,¨¨¨¨.=**¤                                          ¤**=.¨¨¨¨,
¨^«\†@££##                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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