.¨.^«=%*#@                                          @#*%=«^.¨.
.¨..:~^%%¶                                          ¶%%^~:..¨.
¨.¨...=†=%                                          %=†=...¨.¨
.,.¨.~;$£#                                          #£$;~.¨.,.
...~«=%&@@                                          @@&%=«~...
..,-†%@@@#                 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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