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