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