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