..~~^%$#¶#                                          #¶#$%^~~..
..,~«††%&#                                          #&%††«~,..
,¨,,.«=*££                                          ££*=«.,,¨,
,,¨,¨,-\%%                                          %%\-,¨,¨,,
.,,,¨.--:†                                          †:--.¨,,,.
,.¨.¨.,,=†                 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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¨,¨,.,,»:†                                          †:»,,.,¨,¨
.,..,,¨,~/                                          /~,¨,,..,.
,,¨,¨..~:^                                          ^:~..¨,¨,,