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