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