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