¨¨.,,»*%¤#                                          #¤%*»,,.¨¨
,:~;*%&#@@                                          @@#&%*;~:,
,,.,,~/=&£                                          £&=/~,,.,,
¨.,»=-~†£@                                          @£†~-=»,.¨
..¨,¨,.\*@                                          @*\.,¨,¨..
,.,,¨~§&£@                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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