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