¨¨¨,,~^%&#                                          #&%^~,,¨¨¨
¨¨,..~~=§£                                          £§=~~..,¨¨
,,..¨..~\=                                          =\~..¨..,,
¨¨¨,.:=†%§                                          §%†=:.,¨¨¨
¨¨.,~»=$$£                                          £$$=»~,.¨¨
,.¨,~†%&&#                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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