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