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